Vhong's lawyer hopes court to order arrest of Deniece, Cedric

MANILA, Philippines - The lawyer of actor Vhong Navarro is hopeful that Taguig City Regional Trial Court Branch 271 Judge Paz Esperanza Cortes will order the issuance of arrest warrants against Deniece Cornejo, Cedric Lee and five others who were allegedly the behind Navarro's mauling after hearing the “urgent motion for judicial determination of probable cause” filed by the camp of Cornejo and Lee.

The court is scheduled to hear the motion filed by lawyer Howard Calleja on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m.

“We hope the judge acts as soon as possible, exercising her best judgment on the matter,” said Navarro’s lawyer, Alma Mallonga.

Calleja on Friday morning filed the motion for the judicial determination of probable cause in the serious illegal detention case involving Lee and Cornejo.

Also facing the same non-bailable offense are Bernice Lee, Zimmer Raz, Jose Paulo Gregorio Calma, Ferdinand Guerrero and Jed Fernandez.

The illegal detention case is in relation to the mauling of Navarro last January at the Forbeswood Heights condominium at the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig.

Calleja filed the motion a day after the Department of Justice dismissed the rape complaint filed by Cornejo against Navarro.

Cornejo, Lee and the other five accused in the case are also facing the bailiable offense of grave coercion, also filed by Navarro before the Taguig Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 74.

Calleja said his motion includes the suspension of all proceedings, including the issuance of a warrant of arrest against his two clients.

According to Calleja, Judge Cortes has 10 days to review the information given by the DOJ in relation to their case.

Mallonga earlier said the filing of Calleja's motion is not a legal obstacle for the court to issue arrest warrants against Cornejo, Lee and the other accused in the case.