A federal judge refused Friday to block the extradition of former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega to France, where he faces up to 10 years in prison on charges of laundering millions of dollars in drug proceeds through French banks, according to The Associated Press. Senior U.S. District Judge William Hoeveler's decision means that a hearing before another judge will go forward Tuesday on the extradition request. Hoeveler rejected arguments by Noriega's lawyers that his status as a U.S. prisoner of war negated the French request under the Geneva Conventions and required his return home to Panama. Hoeveler's decision said his designation of Noriega as a prisoner of war following his 1992 conviction on drug trafficking charges was meant to assure that he was treated as a POW while in prison. «This court never meant for the proclamation of defendant as a POW to shield him from all future prosecutions for serious crimes he is alleged to have committed,» Hoeveler wrote. «It appears that the extradition proceedings should proceed uninterrupted.» Noriega, 72, is scheduled to be released Sept. 9 from a U.S. prison after serving 15 years for a 1992 drug trafficking conviction. His lawyer, Frank Rubino, said Friday that Noriega was «very disappointed, very displeased» by the ruling but had made no decisions about a possible appeal. «He was hoping the judge would have done the right thing and sent him back to his home country,» Rubino said.
