Supreme Court won’t stop Noriega from being sent to France

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

The Supreme Court decided today not to stop the U.S. government from sending former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega to France to face money laundering charges.

The high court refused to hear an appeal from Noriega, who wanted to be sent back to his native country after finishing his drug sentence in the the United States.

The court’s majority turned away Noriega’s appeal without comment. Justice Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia said they would have heard the appeal, however.

Federal judges have turned away Noriega’s claims that the Geneva Conventions treaties regarding prisoners of war require him to be returned to Panama. U.S. troops invaded Panama in late 1989 and ousted Noriega from power. He was convicted of drug racketeering in 1992 and declared a prisoner of war by U.S. District Judge William Hoeveler in 1992, shortly after his conviction on drug trafficking and related charges.

That drug sentence ended Sept. 9, 2007. A few weeks before, the U.S. filed papers backing France’s request that Noriega be extradited to stand trial on drug money-laundering charges there. Noriega was convicted in absentia of laundering some $3 million in drug proceeds, but France has agreed to give him a new trial.

Noriega remains at the same Miami prison where he served his drug sentence. U.S. officials promised not to move him until his appeals were finished.

-- Associated Press