US judge clears way for Noriega's French extradition

MIAMI, Aug 25 (Reuters) A US judge denied former Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega's demand for a speedy return home when his US prison term ends next month and said nothing stood in the way of a French extradition request.

Noriega's attorneys argued in court this month that his designation as a ''prisoner of war'' after his arrest during the US invasion of Panama more than 17 years ago entitled him to immediate repatriation after his scheduled release from a Florida prison on September 9.

But senior US District Judge William Hoeveler said yesterday protections awarded Noriega as a POW under the Geneva Conventions placed no restrictions on his possible extradition to a third country such as France, where he faces up to 10 years in prison on money-laundering charges.

Noriega, 72, is due to appear before US Magistrate William Turnoff on Tuesday when France's request for his extradition is expected to move forward. The United States supports France's request.

Hoeveler, who presided over the 1992 Miami trial in which Noriega was convicted on US drug-trafficking, racketeering and conspiracy charges, was instrumental in winning recognition of Noriega as a prisoner of war and entitled to protection under the Geneva Conventions.

But in his written opinion, he said he never meant to shield him from future prosecutions for crimes he is alleged to have committed outside Panama or the United States.

''It appears that the (French) extradition proceedings should proceed uninterrupted,'' Hoeveler said.

Noriega faces much more serious charges in Panama than in France. He has been convicted in absentia in his homeland for murder and human rights violations, including the 1985 beheading of Hugo Spadafora, an outspoken opponent.

A spokesman for the Panamanian government, Erich Rodriguez, said if Noriega was sent to France, Panama would file an extradition request with French authorities so that Noriega could serve his sentence for the murder of Spadafora.

Noriega's attorneys say he wants to go home to clear his name there.

Recent reforms of the penal code in Panama, however, could mean that Noriega would serve the 20-year prison term awaiting him there under house arrest, because he is over 70 years old.

Frank Rubino, Noriega's lead defense attorney, said he had spoken briefly with his client after Hoeveler's ruling and that he was ''very disappointed'' with the judge's ruling.

''He was hoping the judge would have done the right thing and sent him back to Panama, his home country,'' Rubino told reporters.

REUTERS AK BST0706