The Court of Appeals (CA) has ordered the filing of rape and acts of lasciviousness charges against TV host and comedian Vhong Navarro in relation to the 2014-case filed by model Deniece Cornejo.
In a decision penned by CA’s Fourteenth Division Associate Justice Florencio Mamauag Jr. and promulgated on July 21, it reversed the decision of the Department of Justice (DOJ) in 2018 and 2020 to dismiss the complaints filed by Cornejo in 2014 accusing Navarro of attempted rape.
CA said it was erroneous for the DOJ to deny Cornejo’s petition for review on the ground that her statements in the complaint-affidavits are inconsistent and incredible. It said the preliminary investigation conducted by DOJ is not the venue to determine who is guilty or innocent.
"Ultimately, it falls upon the trial court to determine who between Navarro and Cornejo speaks the truth. Cornejo decries attempted rape on the night of January 22, 2014 while Navarro denies any wrongdoing on his part," it said.
The court also took note of Navarro's own admission that he and Cornejo had consensual oral sex on January 17, 2014.
