Dictator in Trouble
Surprising news in the papers from France today where a distinctly iffy-looking ex-Panamanian dictator was facing complex money-laundering charges. Manuel Noriega appeared before a French judge today as he was formally notified that he had been placed under arrest in France on charges of money laundering following his extradition from the US.
I have to say I thought the General was long dead. I vaguely remember him being ousted by the USA invasion. And I vaguely remember him being jailed for drug trafficking. So why is he in court in France?
The former Panamanian dictator ousted by US troops in 1989 appeared ”very weak” as the charge sheet was read out to him in the main courthouse in Paris, according to Maître Olivier Metzner, one of his lawyers. The 74-year-old suffers from hemiplegia, a condition of partial paralysis usually brought on by a stroke.
At a second hearing later today, Noriega’s defence team will seek to avoid jail for their client by having him placed under house arrest.
Maître Yves Leberquier, his second lawyer, said Noriega should be treated as a prisoner of war — a status he enjoyed in the US where he has been in jail for the past 21 years. ”He should have conditions worthy of a prisoner of war, which French jails can absolutely not provide,” said Maître Leberquier.
Noriega’s lawyers will also argue that Panama’s former ruler should enjoy immunity from prosecution because he was a head of state at the time of his alleged crimes.
Noriega was sentenced to ten years in prison and a fine of €11.4 million (£9.8 million) in his absence by a French court in 1999, when he was found guilty of transferring €2.3 million profits from drug trafficking into his French bank accounts. He used the funds to buy luxury flats in Paris, the court was told.
So there you have it. If you want to make a killing in the French property market – be careful who you bank with. Or you might end up in a French jail.