News / People
General Manuel Noriega To Be Sent to France or Panama
A U.S. judge is determining whether General Manuel Noriega will be extradited to France or retradited to his home country of Panama.
Noriega was the commander of the Panamanian Defense Forces until he was overthrown during an invasion by US troops in 1989. He was then sentenced to 40 years in prison, but will be released on September 9 for good behavior.
The hearing today will be presided over by Judge William Turnoff, who will have to decide where Noriega will be sent. Noriega has to serve an additional ten years in France for money laundering, but of course, he wants to return to Panama, where he ruled from 1983 to 1989.
Critics say that Noriega's impetus to return to his native Panama is the reliance on a probable judicial appeal that can allow him to serve his sentence from home due to his age. Noriega is now 72.
