Cedric Lee, Deniece Cornejo file plea vs. serious illegal detention charges

The camp of Deniece Cornejo and Cedric Lee on Friday filed a plea against the serious illegal detention charges recommended against them by the Department of Justice (DOJ) in connection with the alleged mauling of actor Vhong Navarro.

Lee and Cornejo's legal counsel, Howard Calleja, filed a motion for determination of probable cause before the Taguig Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 271, where the illegal detention charges were transmitted.

In an interview over radio dzBB, Calleja said the filing of the motion just shows "there are still a lot of remedies" for his clients.

"This is just a first step. Any celebration, any reaction, whether good or bad, is too early," the lawyer said.

The motion basically asked the court to determine if the DOJ was right in finding the basis to charge Lee and Cornejo.

If the RTC sides with Cornejo and Lee's camp, the charges against them will be dismissed. If the motion is junked, the court will proceed with the pre-trial proceedings.

On Thursday, the DOJ announced it has filed serious illegal detention and grave coercion charges against Cornejo, Lee and others allegedly involved in Navarro's mauling. http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/356315/news/nation/serious-illegal-detention-charges-filed-vs-cedric-lee-deniece-cornejo-others

Evidence showed that Navarro was "being deprived of his will" when Lee and his companions "ganged up" on the actor, said DOJ Secretary Leila de Lima. 

Apart from Lee and Cornejo, also charged were Simeon Raz, Jose Paolo Gregorio Calma, Ferdinand Guerrero, Sajed Fernandez Abuhijleh, and Lee's sister Bernice. – Andreo Calonzo/VS, GMA News