Vhong reopens perjury case vs Cedric

MANILA, Philippines - Television host Ferdinand “Vhong” Navarro has submitted new evidence before the Manila City prosecutor’s office and asked that his perjury complaint against businessman Cedric Lee be reopened, his lawyer Alma Mallonga told reporters yesterday.

According to Mallonga, Navarro made the manifestation last Aug. 5 as he also asked the prosecutor’s office to accept as new evidence a closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage taken at Ritz Tower, another condominium near the Forbeswood Condominium where the actor was allegedly beaten by Lee and several others an hour before the incident happened last Jan. 22.

“We discovered a CCTV video footage gathered not from Forbeswood but from Ritz (Tower), where all the accused are seen meeting before the incident in Forbeswood, which lends credence that this thing was planned and not spontaneous,” Mallonga said.

Navarro’s perjury complaint was submitted for resolution but Mallonga said they requested that it be reopened in the light of the newly discovered evidence. The CCTV footages were turned over by the National Bureau of Investigation to Navarro’s lawyers only last July 7.

Meanwhile, Navarro once again appeared yesterday before the Taguig Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 74 to participate in another judicial dispute resolution (JDR) session for his complaint of grave coercion filed against Lee and model Deniece Cornejo. 

Mallonga said also summoned to attend the JDR session yesterday was accused Jed Fernandez, who did not appear.

The JDR sessions are being presided by Judge Bernard Bernal, who earlier said Navarro must attend the mediation hearings to signify his refusal to enter into a settlement with the respondents. The next JDR session will be on Oct. 2.

Mallonga earlier said that although Navarro would appear during the JDR sessions, he remains opposed to the idea of a settlement in the case.