PARIS, April 27 (UPI) -- U.S. officials delivered former Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega to French authorities for trial on money laundering charges.
Noriega, 76, served 17 years in prison in the United States after being convicted on drug trafficking and money laundering charges. While his sentence ended in September 2007, Noriega was kept in U.S. custody pending extradition procedures by France and Panama.
Last month a federal judge lifted a stay that had blocked the French extradition request and, after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton signed a warrant, Noriega was sent to France, where he arrived Tuesday.
He was convicted of money laundering charges -- he allegedly used about $3 million in drug money to buy apartments in Paris -- in absentia in 1999 but Noriega is expected to have a new trial in France. He could be sentenced to 10 years in prison if convicted.
In Panama, the charges against Noriega, who headed a military dictatorship in the Central American nation from 1983 to 1990, include human rights abuses and murder.
