French Court Rejects Noriega's Appeal; He Stays Behind Bars
A French court ruled Friday that former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega must stay in jail as he awaits his June 28 trial on charges that he laundered cocaine profits.
The ruling was on Noriega’s appeal of a May 12 ruling that he remain in jail because he is a flight risk and lawyers couldn’t demonstrate that conditions at La Sante prison are inhumane, Agence France Presse reported.
Noriega was extradited to France last month after serving 20 years in U.S. prison for drug trafficking. In January, Noriega appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, citing prisoner-of-war protections in the Geneva Conventions. However, the high court refused to hear the case, upholding the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that the Geneva Conventions are not enforceable in habeas appeals.
Yves Leberquier told Agence France Presse that he plans to appeal to France’s highest court.
