Lee, Raz freed; DOJ hits Taguig judge

Businessman Cedric Lee and Simeon Palma Raz Jr. walked out of jail on Tuesday after they posted bail of P500,000 each on the charge of serious illegal detention filed against them by actor-TV host Ferdinand “Vhong” Navarro.

The pair regained their freedom even as Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said the prosecution would push for the inhibition from the case of Taguig Judge Paz Esperanza Cortes who granted the other day the suspects’ petition for bail on the grounds that there was not enough evidence against them.

At press time, another accused, Deniece Cornejo, had yet to post bail with her lawyer, Ferdinand Topacio, saying they had yet to comply with the requirements set by the court before she could be released.

Howard Calleja, lead counsel of Lee and Raz, said both men posted a cash bond in Pasig where an administrative unit of the Taguig Regional Trial Court was based.

The pair then went to the Taguig Hall of Justice for the issuance of their release orders. Both were smiling as they stepped out of the building before 5 p.m. with Raz telling reporters: “God is good.” Lee, however, gave a curt: “Talk to my lawyer” when he was bombarded with questions.

Calleja said the two were to be taken to Camp Bagong Diwa where they had been detained for months as a formality. Aris Villaester, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology-National Capital Region spokesperson, said that Lee and Raz were officially released around 7 p.m.

De Lima, meanwhile, said that government prosecutors have filed an urgent motion for Cortes to inhibit herself from the case.

“The prosecution panel said they have lost faith and confidence in the ability of the judge [to handle the case] objectively. They pointed out grounds [for] why they think the grant of bail was very wrong. They saw that the judge was predetermined and predisposed to grant bail [to the accused],” she told reporters in an interview.

At the same time, prosecutors would also file a motion asking Cortes to reconsider her decision allowing the suspects to post bail, De Lima said.

“We were surprised…and frustrated that the court came out with that decision. What I know is that the [pieces of] evidence against Lee and the others are strong and solid. I know for a fact that the prosecution panel [members] are very good. They performed well along with the private prosecutors,” she added.

De Lima also hit back at the camps of Lee and Cornejo for implying that the Department of Justice (DOJ) went ahead with the filing of cases against them in spite of its weak evidence.

“Of course not. We don’t file cases [without basis]. When the National Prosecution Service [of the DOJ] files a case, it means the prosecutors who evaluated it believe or are convinced that there is probable cause. I myself think there was probable cause for serious illegal detention,” she said.

For her part, Cornejo said the first thing she would do as soon as she got out of jail would be to go to church.

From her detention cell at the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in Camp Crame, Quezon City, she said she had already packed her possessions in anticipation of her release.

“I have only a few things with me. I am so excited, I can barely think straight,” Cornejo said.

She likened her stay in jail to an “immersion” similar to her experience as a student leader in her younger days.

“It’s like an immersion, I am the one adjusting to them [inmates] and my environment. I share the Bible with my inmates,” she said.

Alma Mallonga, Navarro’s lawyer, told reporters that her client was saddened by the turn of events although he was “not completely demoralized.”

“He is as strong and as fully committed as ever to see this case through,” she added as she announced that they had also filed a motion for reconsideration regarding the granting of the suspects’ bail petition as well as a motion for the judge to inhibit herself from the case.

Both motions, Mallonga said, would be heard by the court on Friday. Julie M. Aurelio