US judge refuses to halt Noriega extradition

A US federal judge refused today to block the extradition of former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega to France, where he faces up to 10 years in prison on charges of laundering millions of dollars in drug proceeds through French banks.

Senior US District Judge William Hoeveler’s decision means that a hearing before another judge will go forward on the extradition request on Tuesday.

Judge Hoeveler rejected arguments by Noriega’s lawyers that his status as a US prisoner of war negated the French request under the Geneva Conventions and required his return home to Panama.

In a 12-page decision, the judge said his designation of Noriega as a prisoner of war following his 1992 conviction on drug trafficking charges was not meant “to shield him from all future prosecutions for serious crimes he is alleged to have committed”.

Noriega, 72, is scheduled to be released from a US prison on September 9 after serving 15 years for a 1992 drug trafficking conviction. Federal prosecutors could appeal against Judge Hoeveler’s decision, leaving it uncertain when Noriega might actually return to Panama.

While in the US, Noriega was convicted in Panama of embezzlement, corruption and murdering political opponents and sentenced to 60 years. But he could end up serving only a fraction of that time or even get house arrest under Panamanian law.

US forces captured Noriega after a 1989 military invasion ordered by then-President George HW Bush in part because of the Panamanian’s links to Colombian drug traffickers. He was convicted of accepting bribes to allow shipments of US-bound cocaine to pass through Panama.

Noriega also was an asset of the CIA for many years in Latin America, including acting as liaison to Cuban President Fidel Castro, according to court documents.

France wants Noriega to face charges of laundering more than 3 million dollars in drug proceeds through five French banks. Noriega was convicted in absentia of those charges and sentenced to 10 years, but the French agreed to hold a new trial if Noriega is extradited from the US.