Court dismisses illegal recruitment charges against Jay Sonza
JAY SONZA – The Quezon City Regional Trial Court has dismissed the two cases filed against the former broadcaster, according to the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP).
The BJMP shared that QC RTC Branch 100 has “provisionally” dismissed the cases related to syndicated and large-scale illegal recruitment against Sonza due to the complainant’s absence during hearings. Also, QC RTC Branch 215 provisionally dismissed an illegal recruitment case against Sonza.
Assistant City Prosecutor Joseph Seares noted that the complainants in the case did not cooperate despite his attempts to communicate with them. Therefore, with the defendant’s agreement and the prosecutor’s indication of the complainants’ lack of interest in pursuing the case, the court granted the defense’s motion for dismissal. Provisional dismissal indicates that the cases might be reopened within two years if new evidence emerges.
Nevertheless, Sonza will remain detained as he faces other pending cases: 11 counts of estafa in QC RTC Branch 100 and a libel case in QC RTC Branch 77. Sonza remains in custody despite the dismissal of the illegal recruitment cases. An arraignment and pre-trial hearing for his libel case are scheduled for August 18, 2023. The bail for the libel case is set at P10,000.
Sonza is currently detained at the Quezon City Jail – Ligtas COVID Center Quarantine Facility in Payatas, Quezon City. His arraignment for the libel case will happen via videoconferencing.
Meanwhile, Jay Sonza was halted by immigration officials while attempting to leave for Hong Kong on July 18. He was handed over to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Airport Investigation Division and subsequently to the BJMP. The BJMP received Sonza on August 3, 2023, via commitment order from QC RTC Branch 100.
Related Article: Jay Sonza Arrested Due to Estafa, Syndicated and Large Scale Illegal Recruitment
For more news and the latest updates, feel free to visit Newspapers.ph more often as well as our Facebook page and YouTube channel.
