Limited chance of Noriegas return before 2013

Despite local pronouncements that Panama’s former military dictator would soon be returned to Panama, the likelihood of his return before he has completed his sentence in France is slim.

A French Foreign Ministry Spokesman  said on  Monday, April  18, that the chances of  Manuel Antonio Noriega being  extradited to Panama before completion of his sentence in 2013 are "limited" and he  reiterated that the former general should serve his sentence in France. He stressed that "the multiplication of requests for extradition can only delay the date of re-extradition, as it opens up new procedures."
The U.S. must give its approval to send Noriega to Panama because the former general is in France on the basis of an extradition request issued by the French authorities and   contrary to some local claims, that agreement has not yet been received. "
Noriega was sentenced in absentia to seven years in prison for laundering money from drug trafficking.
In Panama, the former general is accused of corruption and was sentenced to 15 to 20 years in prison for his role in the murder of opposition leader Hugo Spadafora opposition and a military officer Moises Giroldi, who led an attempted coup against the dictator.

Panama  submitted its first request for extradition to France  in June  to serveby one of the four convictions he has here  Noriega, was extradited to France in April 2010 from the United States where he served
20 years in prison for drug trafficking,