Jul.02, 2010

PARIS - A Paris prosecutor said there is enough evidence to sentence former Panamanian general Manuel Antonio Noriega to 10 years in prison on charges of money laundering in France.

According to the closing argument of prosecutor Michel Maes in the Correctional Court here, Noriega, who has already served 17 years' prison time in Miami laundered 2.3 million euros for the Medellin drug cartel.

Mae said the former Panamanian strongman received large sums of money from "traffic closely related to the Medellin cartel in Colombia."

Along with the request for 10 years in prison, the prosecutor demanded a fine equal to the amount of money laundered, 2.3 million euros.

Noriega was convicted in France in absentia in 1999 by the same court; the United States allowed his extradition to this European country last April 27 to face charges.

While the sentence will not be known until autumn, Panamanian authorities asked France three weeks ago to extradite Noriega so that he can serve 20 years' prison for the 1985 disappearance of opponent Hugo Spadafora.

In self-defense, Noriega reiterated here that the money deposited in France came from his private fortune and from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), for which he was a spy in the 1970s.

His top lawyer, Olivier Metzner, will insist on the prisoner of war status granted to Noriega by the United States, his immunity as a former head of state, and his health.