Court rejects Cedric Lee's move to stop arrest

MANILA, Philippines — The Taguig Regional Trial Court (RTC) on Friday rejected the motion for judicial determination of probable cause of businessman Cedric Lee and model Deniece Cornejo.

In a bid to prevent the issuance of their warrant of arrest, Lee and Deniece filed the motion before Taguig RTC Branch 271 after the Department of Justice indicted them on Thursday for serious illegal detention with demand for money or ransom of television host Vhong Navarro.

Lawyer Howard Calleja, Lee's and Cornejo's counsel, said in a radio report that their camp and the court could not decide on a date to hear the plea.

Calleja said he will  file again a revised motion within the day.

Judge Paz Esperanza Cortez is set to release a warrant of arrest for the non-bailable offense.

The two and their companions Bernice Lee, Simeon "Zimmer" Raz, Jose Paolo Calma, Ferdinand Guerrero, and Jed Fernandez also face charges for mauling Navarro last January 22. - Camille Diola