Panama Urges U.S. to
Extradite Former Leader
Panama has asked the
United States to
extradite the country's
former military leader
Manuel Antonio Noriega
back to Panama for
trial, Vice President
and Foreign Minister
Samuel Lewis Navarro
said on Thursday.
The Panamanian
government will respect
whatever the U.S. courts
decide, but Panama wants
Noriega returned home to
serve jail term for
murder when he is
released from a U.S.
prison in September,
Navarro said.
"We have maintained our
request for extradition
and will be keeping
abreast of the process.
This is a legitimate and
sovereign decision of
the United States," he
added.
The vice president also
denied the accusation of
a secret deal to have
Noriega extradited to
France so that President
Martin Torrijos could
avoid putting a member
of his party, the
Democratic Revolutionary
Party, into jail.
Noriega was captured by
U.S. forces in a 1989
invasion of Panama, and
later he was sentenced
to 40 years in jail on
multiple charges of drug
trafficking and
racketeering. However,
his 40-year jail term
has been commuted to 17
years owing to good
behavior and his poor
health and the
71-year-old former
leader is scheduled to
be released on Sept. 9.
But it is still not
clear where he will be
sent after being
released. Some media
reports said France
wants him extradited to
serve a 10-year jail
term there for
laundering money through
French banks. Noriega's
lawyer Julio Berrios,
however, insisted that
he should be sent back
to Panama in the first
place.
"It is not up to the
U.S. government. Our
government must insist
and push for Panamanian
jurisdiction, so that
Noriega can return home
and face pending
charges," Berrios said.
Noriega was Panama's de
facto leader until U.S.
troops toppled him in
the 1989 invasion.
|
|
