Convicted United States Marine Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton will hopefully be out of the country this weekend, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said today.
“It is my expectation that by this weekend, the whole process will have been completed,” said Guevarra about the release and deportation process Pemberton will have to go through.
The Justice Secretary admitted that “Pemberton's actual exit from the country depends on his flight arrangements considering that he is a military personnel of the US.”
Pemberton was convicted for homicide in 2015 for the 2014 killing of transgender Jennifer Laude.
Sentenced to suffer imprisonment from six to 10 years, the Olongapo City Regional Trial Court which convicted him recently granted his motion for his early release based on the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) he accumulated.
The US serviceman was eventually given absolute pardon by President Duterte after the family of Laude opposed Pemberton’s early release before the court.
“The BuCor (Bureau of Corrections) will officially receive today a copy of the presidential pardon for Mr. Pemberton. Then the BuCor will prepare the release order,” said Guevarra.
As soon as Pemberton is released from his detention cell, Guevarra said the Bureau of Immigration (BI) will “take over custody of his person and proceed to deport him immediately.”
BI Commissioner Jaime Morente had earlier revealed that the BI Board of Commissioners issued on Sept. 16, 2015 a summary deportation order against Pemberton for being an undesirable alien.