Businessman Cedric Lee, one of four persons convicted of serious illegal detention for ransom in a case filed by television host Ferdinand "Vhong" Navarro, has been turned over by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to the Bureau of Corrections' (BuCor) New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City.
Lee, who was assigned Prison Number N224P-2117, was brought to the Reception and Diagnostic Center (RDC) of the NBP at about 9 p.m. on Friday, May 3. He surrendered to the NBI hours after the promulgation of the judgment of conviction handed down by the Taguig City regional trial court (RTC).
BuCor Director General Gregorio Pio P. Catapang Jr. said that Lee will stay at the RDC Quarantine Cell for five days with no visiting privileges, followed by diagnostic procedure which includes medical, sociological, psychological, educational and classification processes for 55 days. These are all part of the bureau's standard operating procedure, he said.
The three other convicts in the case were model Deniece Cornejo, Simeon Palma Raz Jr. and Ferdinand Guerrero. Cornejo with Prison Number N224P-172 is now at the RDC of the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) in Mandaluyong City. Raz with Prison Number N224P-2079 is with NBP. Guerrero, whose bail bond had been ordered cancelled with his conviction, has remained at large.