Pasay City court clears Neri Miranda in Dermacare criminal cases

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'We are so thankful that she was eventually given the chance to defend herself, and [present] her side of the story,' Neri's husband, Parokya ni Edgar frontman Chito Miranda, says

MANILA, Philippines – Showbiz personality and entrepreneur Neri Naig Miranda has been cleared in her criminal cases, the actress’ camp said on Tuesday, March 4.

Miranda’s counsel, FLO Attorneys-at-Law, said Pasay City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 112 acting Presiding Judge Ronald August Tan dismissed the syndicated estafa case filed against the actress in an order dated February 12, but was only made public on Monday.

Miranda, wife of Parokya ni Edgar frontman Chito Miranda, was sued and arrested after she was implicated in the Dermacare/Beyond Skin Care Solutions scheme. According to the counsels, the case was dismissed after a reinvestigation by the prosecutors, who later found that there was no probable cause to indict or pursue the case against Naig.

In indicting a person, prosecutors must find not only probable cause or sufficient evidence against a person, but there must also be reasonable certainty of conviction. This means that the case must be strong and that it should lead to assured conviction, under the new Department of Justice rules.

“Glaringly, the private complainants never alleged being defrauded by [Miranda]…More mind-boggling is that private complainants never asserted having personally transacted with or handed over money to [Miranda]…. Therefore, the evidence presented indeed fails to establish that [Miranda] committed the crime of Estafa, moreso, Syndicated Estafa,” the ruling said.

“Sobrang blessed din kami dahil (we are so blessed because) the people who matter knew the truth as well, and did everything they could to help and support her. We are so thankful that she was eventually given the chance to defend herself, and [present] her side of the story,” Chito said.

“To those who chose to stand up and defend my wife, maraming salamat talaga (thank you so much),” he added.

Apart from the syndicated estafa case, Naig’s camp also said that Pasay City RTC Branch 111 acting Presiding Judge Gina Bibat Palamos also ordered the dismissal of cases against Naig in relation to alleged violation of Republic Act 8799 or the Securities Regulation Code.

This law bars individuals from buying, selling, or acting as salesmen, dealers, or brokers without proper registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). In the complaints against Miranda, the actress allegedly “enticed” people to invest in a company that has no license to solicit such investments.

“We thank the courts for clearing the name of Neri Miranda, who has unmistakably been falsely accused of wrongdoing in the Dermacare case. We hope that this issue will be put to rest as regards to Neri, so that instrumentalities of the law can focus on bringing the true perpetrators of the Dermacare scam to justice,” Aureli Sinsuat of FLO Attorneys-at-Law said.

Back in November last year, Miranda was arrested for estafa and 14 counts of alleged violation of the Securities Regulation Code at the basement of a Pasay City mall by the Philippine National Police’s Southern Police District. Bail was set for the securities-related case, but none for estafa.

The actress was eventually released in early December after the the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology received an order from the court to release Miranda. Sinsuat said the court granted their motion to quash the warrant of arrest against her client, which meant that the authorities no longer had basis to detain her for estafa.

Actress-comedienne Rufa Mae Quinto was also implicated in the scheme, aside from Miranda. She had an arrest warrant, too, for alleged violation of the Securities Regulation Code. – Rappler.com