MANILA, Philippines — Four people behind the 2014 assault on actor and television host Vhong Navarro will be released from prison after having their sentence reduced.
The Court of Appeals has ordered the release of Deniece Cornejo, Cedric Lee, Simeon Raz and Ferdinand Guerrero.
Cornejo, whose allegations of rape and acts of lasciviousness against Navarro had been junked by the Supreme Court, will be out of prison in the coming weeks, her former lawyer Ferdinand Topacio said.
“Justice has been done. Cornejo’s two years in detention following her conviction were considered time served,” Topacio posted on X.
In May 2024, a Taguig court found Cornejo, Lee, Raz and Guerrero guilty of serious illegal detention for ransom.
They were sentenced to life in prison and ordered to pay Navarro P300,000 in civil, moral and exemplary damages.
The appellate court has yet to upload a copy of its ruling.