By JEL SANTOS
A Mandaluyong court found controversial businessman Cedric Lee guilty of kidnapping his daughter with actress Vina Morales.
In a 10-page decision released yesterday, Mandaluyong Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 277 ruled that Lee “was found guilty beyond reasonable doubt of the crime of kidnapping and failure to return a minor.”
He was ordered by the court to pay P300 fine, P25,000 for moral damages, and another P25,000 for nominal damages to Sharon Magdayao, popularly known as Vina Morales. The court said that such has an interest of six percent per annum from the finality of the judgment until fully paid.
“The action of [Lee] of not immediately returning the minor Caena was premeditated, intentional and malicious, as he adamantly refused to return the custody of minor Caena to the private complainant, through her sister, when he is legally obligated to do so,” the court decision stated.
Based on court documents, Lee failed to return his daughter on May 14, 2016. The return of the minor is required in the Compromise Agreement.
The mother of the minor accused Lee of detaining their daughter from May 13 to 22.
She said that she filed the complaint against the father of her child for the welfare of her daughter.
Lee denied the allegations of the actress and stressed that such were just “lies.”
The order was penned by Mandaluyong RTC Branch 277 Presiding Judge Anthony B. Fama.
It can be recalled that in 2014, Lee became controversial after he was sued for perjury by actor Vhong Navarro for claiming that he had seen the latter attempting to rape Deniece Cornejo.