French court hands Noriega 7-year prison term

[July 07, 2010]  PARIS (AP) -- A Paris court has convicted former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega for laundering drug money in France in the 1980s and ordered him to spend seven years in prison.

Noriega already spent 20 years in U.S. custody for drug trafficking and was extradited to France in April to stand trial on charges here.

A French prosecutor has argued that millions of dollars that transited through Noriega's French bank accounts during the late 1980s were kickbacks from the powerful Medellin cocaine cartel.

Defense lawyers say the French charges were part of a global political plot against Noriega. In court, Noriega cast himself as a foe of drug traffickers.

He was convicted Wednesday.

[Associated Press]

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