A Taguig court issued an arrest warrant for comedian and television host Vhong Navarro on September 19, Monday for acts of lasciviousness filed by model Deniece Cornejo.
Vhong’s lawyer, Alma Mallonga, said the actor will surrender to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). However, their camp will continue to seek reconsideration of the issued warrant.
She added that Vhong maintains that he is a victim of the crimes of Serious Illegal Detention and Grave Coercion.
The court also set the recommended bail at P36,000.
Cornejo initially filed a case against the actor for alleged sexual assault on January 22, 2014. The night of the incident left Vhong severely injured.
Vhong claims Cornejo, Cedric Lee, and their other companions attacked him and made him a victim of extortion. Meanwhile, the model’s camp maintains that Vhong sustained his injuries after her companions caught him attempting to sexually assault Cornejo.
In June 2022, the Court of Appeals (CA) 14th Division reversed and set aside the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) previous resolutions from 2018 and 2020, which dismissed Cornejo’s complaint against Vhong.