Panamas former strongman to remain in French jail

Panama’s former military dictator Manuel Antonio Noriega will not be back in Panama for Christmas.

 He will remain a prisoner in La Santé Jail in Paris, France after the Paris Court of Appeals denied a request for probation submitted by defense attorneys. 

Noriega's lawyer, Yves Leberquier, said that the former dictator is "old and sick," and that he should be granted his release.

Noriega was joined at the court appearance by his daughter, Sandra and Panama's consul in Paris, Aristides Gómez.

The former strongman was seeking to serve the rest of his sentence under house arrest instead of in jail.
France still has to decide whether or not to extradite Noriega to Panama where he faces a 20-year prison sentence for the murder of Hugo Spadafora 25 years ago, but under Panama’s laws, he would be unlikely to remain behind bars because of his age. He is 76.