(MENAFN- The Peninsula) The Philippines yesterday issued a summons for an American Marine, named a suspect in the murder of a Filipino man he met in a restaurant outside the former US navy base of Subic Bay, to appear at a hearing next week.
Prosecutors will determine if there is enough evidence to put Joseph Scott Pemberton on trial in Olongapo City for the murder of Jeffrey Laude, 26, who was found dead last Saturday in a hotel room.
Foreign ministry spokesman Charles Jose said foreign officials and prosecutors went to the US embassy to serve the summons on Pemberton and four other soldiers required as witnesses.
The embassy will hand the subpoenas to the Marines on the USS Peleliu, an amphibious assault ship docked in Subic Bay. They order the men to be at the prosecutor's office on Monday.
"The Department of Foreign Affairs, together with the office of the city prosecutor of Olongapo City, today served the subpoena and complaint against Private First Class Joseph Scott Pemberton for the murder of Jeffrey Laude, also known as 'Jennifer'," Jose said in a statement.
In Washington, Rear Admiral John Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary, said the US military had "a great sense of gravity over what happened" and was cooperating with local law enforcement.
The Philippine foreign ministry has asked US embassy officials to hand the Marine to local authorities because the southeast Asian nation is worried about growing adverse domestic opinion over ties between the two oldest allies in the region.
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