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Noriega Going Back to Panama After 20 Years

French court approves extradition to serve time in his homeland

By the Associated Press

Posted Nov 23, 2011 4:49 PM CST

(AP) – A French court ruled today that former dictator Manuel Noriega can be extradited to Panama to serve time for past crimes, more than 20 years after being ousted and arrested in a US invasion. Noriega, now in his 70s, could be in his home country tomorrow. Panama wants Noriega returned to serve prison terms handed down after he was convicted in absentia for embezzlement, corruption, and murder. It's possible that because of his age, he may get to serve out his time under house arrest.

"God Bless you," Noriega told the French appeals court. "God bless my family, God bless my enemies, God bless France." Through an interpreter, he said, "I want to return to Panama and prove my innocence." After the 1989 US invasion, Noriega served a 17-year sentence in Florida for colluding with the Medellin cartel to ship cocaine to the US. After his sentence ended, he remained in legal limbo in Miami from 2007 to 2010, when France sought his extradition to face money laundering charges. He was convicted in Paris and sentenced to seven years behind bars. He has been there since.

In this Nov. 8, 1989, file photo Panamanian military strongman Gen. Manuel Antonio Noriega talks to reporters in Panama City.
In this Nov. 8, 1989, file photo Panamanian military strongman Gen. Manuel Antonio Noriega talks to reporters in Panama City.   (Anonymous)
A court sketch made on September 7 in Paris shows Panama's former leader Manuel Noriega.
A court sketch made on September 7 in Paris shows Panama's former leader Manuel Noriega.   (Getty Images)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 16 comments
fancygapva
Nov 24, 2011 10:46 AM CST
...
Count-Spatula
Nov 23, 2011 8:26 PM CST
Alright kids, here's the pattern. 1) Have a cabal of evil US politicians and nefarious US cloak-and-dagger agencies select the next sovereign nation whose resources we want (presumably it is a non-caucasian nation) 2) Install the next puppet/despot pooped out of CIA-run College of the Americas (Noriega, Gaddhaffi, Assad, Aristide, Duvalier, Marcos, Pinochet, etc) for that very purpose! 3) Suppress the entire nations population with a reign of terror lasting 20 - 30 years. 4) When the inevitable people's revolution occurs or when the bitch stops being our bitch, declare war on him (citing his heinous, US-sponsored crime spree, and the need for democracy), storm in and take him out. 5) Install next puppet and repeat.
fancygapva
Nov 23, 2011 7:08 PM CST
I have never understood how a sovereign nation can invade another, arrest and try its president and imprison him. Does that mean that any stronger country can oust the leader of any weaker country. Isn't that against international law? We sure don't treat our former CIA assets very nicely.

Copyright 2012 Newser, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. AP contributed to this report.

 
Panama • Manuel Noriega

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