Au revoir Général Noriega. Bonne chance en France!

As you may have guessed from the headline, General Noriega will likely be heading to France following his release from American custody on September 9. The federal judge in charge of his case refused to block France's extradition request.

District Judge William Hoeveler, stated that the Geneva Convention on prisoners did not require that they be repatriated, nor did it protect them from further prosecution. Also, in an indication of Panama's fear of the effect he would have on the country, the judge also noted that it was not clear that the country was actively seeking his repatriation.

Noriega's attorney said they will consult with their client about filing an appeal. If they do so, Gen. Noriega will likely stay in the US for a few more weeks, or months before the matter is resolved. As noted in my earlier post, American and Panamanian officials fear that were he sent back to Panama, he would serve no time in prison. Already his attorneys there have indicated confidently that they can keep out of prison. This is a likely prospect as many of his former allies still hold positions of power within the current government.

General Noriega will have another day in court on Tuesday, were another judge will rule specifically on France's extradition request. However, given the fact that this judge has refused to block his extradition, and that Panama is not actively seeking his return, the likely hood that the general will see Les Champs-Elysées soon, is pretty good.

As part of the extradition request, France promised that although the general was convicted in absentia, upon extradition, he would receive a new trial. This means that the general may still have a shot at avoiding spending 10 years in the French prison system, a long shot, but a shot nonetheless.