By Jeffrey Damicog
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has upheld its own ruling dismissing the rape complaints of model Deniece Cornejo against celebrity Ferdinand “Vhong” Navarro.
(MANILA BULLETIN)
Prior being replaced by Malacanang, former Justice Undersecretary Reynante Orceo issued a resolution dismissing the petition for review of Cornejo who sought to overturn the Sept. 6, 2017 ruling of the Office of the Prosecutor General (OPG) which junked her complaints.
In his resolution, Orceo backed the OPG’s findings that there were inconsistencies in the three sworn complaint-affidavits issued by Cornejo who attempted to justify her conflicting statements by being “confused and traumatized” from her experience.
“In this regard, complainant-appellant's offer of explanation, unfortunately for her, reveals more incredulity on her part than the veracity of her allegations,” read Orceo’s resolution.
“What the explanation clarified more is her incredulousness,” he added.
Orceo particularly pointed out that Cornejo failed to include the Jan. 17, 2014 alleged rape incident in her first affidavit and only mentions it in her succeeding affidavits. He noted she only cited in her first affidavit the Jan. 22, 2014 alleged rape incident.
“Her claim that she was confused and traumatized as to mindlessly sign her first-complaint affidavit prepared by her lawyer is a sorry excuse,” he said.
“She could not have been a helpless child under the circumstances, without any assistance from friends and lawyer, to miss out an important—very important!—aspect in her first complaint, i.e., her having been allegedly raped on 17 January 2014,” Orceo stressed.
In its review resolution dated Sept. 6, 2017, the OPG observed that, though it involves the same incidents, every time she issued an affidavit she “changed her story each time.”
”As discussed above, complainant’s story about the incident on January 17, 2014 changed from rape (or anything amorous for that matter) happening (first Complaint-Affidavit), to rape being committed by force (second Complaint-Affidavit), and finally to rape being committed by rendering her dizzy and weak due to a date rape drug-laced wine (third Complaint-Affidavit),” it cited.
Regarding the January 22, 2014 incident, the OPG noted Cornejo said it “started from rape being committed by force (first Complaint-Affidavit) to absolutely having no mention about any incident (second Complaint-Affidavit), until the events morphed into a mere attempt to rape her (second Complaint-Affidavit).”
The OPG also question the credibility of her latest complaint-affidavit contains much more details about the incidents.
“Common human experience dictates that a narration given close to the incident usually contains more details than one that is given later. This is because, in the former, the events or details are still fresh in the narrator’s mind, while the passage of time will make a person forget details,” it explained.
The OPG also indicated that closed circuit television (CCTV) footage at her condominium building during the two dates reveal inconsistencies “with the actuation and demeanor of persons who has just been violated.”
“As a matter of fact, there is no evidence to show complainant ever reported to the security guards of the condominium that respondent attempted to rape her,” said the OPG contrary what she stated in her affidavits.”
“Also, how com Cedric Lee was kissing complainant in the elevator after they had brought respondents to the police station?” asked the OPG.
Lee has been accused of mauling and extorting money from Navarro.