Immediate release of Neri Miranda ordered by Pasay court
The Pasay City Regional Trial Court has ordered the immediate release of Neri Miranda over a week after her arrest for alleged estafa and securities regulation code violation.
Her lawyer, Atty. Aureli Sinsuat, confirmed the release order from RTC 112 to PhilSTAR L!fe on Wednesday, Dec. 4. It was received by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology earlier today.
"We appreciate the Court's decision, which underscores Neri's constitutional right to due process," Sinsuat said in a statement, adding that the reinvestigation "will provide an opportunity for Neri to respond to the allegations against her."
"We are hopeful that the reinvestigation will clear Neri of any wrongdoing in the Dermacare/Beyond Skin Care Solutions case," he continued.
"This development marks an important step toward resolving the matter fairly and justly," Sinsuat added.
Neri's alleged estafa and violation of the securities regulation code reportedly stemmed from her endorsement urging dozens of individuals to invest hundreds of thousands of pesos in skincare company Dermacare.
Reports about Neri's arrest began with showbiz insider Ogie Diaz talking about it on the Nov. 24 episode of his YouTube channel.
On the evening of Nov. 26, the Southern Police District (SPD) wrote a Facebook post announcing that a manhunt operation, led by the Pasay City Police in coordination with the Warrant and Subpoena Section, resulted in the arrest of a 41-year-old actress and businesswoman. They said the woman, who was initially identified as "Neri" at 7:33 p.m. but was changed to "Erin" at 8:06 p.m., was arrested at a basement convention center in Pasay City on Nov. 23 at 2:50 p.m. According to them, she's listed as Rank No. 7, or the seventh most wanted person, for November 2024.
In an ABS-CBN News report, authorities confirmed that a certain "Nerizza Miranda" was transferred to Pasay City Jail's female dormitory at around 12:02 p.m. on the day of her arrest. (Neri was born Nerizza Garcia Naig, and tied the knot with Parokya ni Edgar frontman Chito Miranda in December 2014.)
Chito wrote an Instagram post for her on Nov. 27, asserting that his wife didn't swindle anybody and that she's so helpful to other people, even if it can be harmful to her and her kindness gets abused at times. Chito explained that she's an endorser whose face was used to attract investors, but victims sued her.
Police told GMA's 24 Oras that Neri has posted bail for her securities regulations code violations. With 14 counts set at P126,000 each, her bail amounted to P1.764 million.
GMA News reported on Nov. 28 that Neri's camp filed a motion to quash, which requests the court to invalidate a previous proceeding like a subpoena, arrest warrant, or legal complaint.
