The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) confirmed that Jay Sonza would stay behind bars as his charges were considered as ‘non-bailable’.
In an interview with ABS-CBN, NBI Asst. Dir. Glenn Ricarte said that Sonza attempted to leave the country on August 3, but was stopped by the immigration officials after they found the serious charges being faced by the veteran journalist.
According to Ricarte, Sonza was facing syndicated large-scale illegal recruitment, a case that might put the veteran journalist behind bars for life.
Ricarte said that Sonza attempted to post, but his lawyer said that it was impossible because of the gravity of the complaint he was facing.
Sonza was currently detained in Quezon City while waiting for the trial in his case.
Ricarte added that Sonza was already in touch with his lawyer when he was detained by the Bureau of Immigration. He was allegedly advised about his legal options after it was explained to him that he could not post bail for syndicated/large scale illegal recruitment.
— Niko Baua (@Nikobaua) August 15, 2023
Anyone who is found guilty of syndicated large-scale illegal recruitment shall suffer a penalty of not less than 12 years behind bars and he was also required to pay P1-M to P2-M worth of fines.
If ever that illegal recruitment also caused economic sabotage, the penalty will be elevated to imprisonment for life.
As of writing, Sonza’s camp has yet to give any statement on how they would handle the accusations against the veteran journalist who became popular for hosting ‘Mel & Jay’.