Panama's ex-ruler, Noriega, extradited 22 years after

Former Panamanian dictator,Manuel Noriega, left France for Panama on Sunday, nearly 22 years after the United States of America (USA) forcibly removed him from office.The 77-year-old is expected to arrive in his country on Sunday evening.His extradition began on Sunday morning with a flight from Paris to Madrid.He was in the custody of the Spanish police during a four-hour layover, before leaving Madrid on Sunday afternoon on a flight to Panama City, a spokesman for Spain's airport authorities said.Last month, a French court authorised Noriega's extradition to Panama, where officials want him to face justice over the allegation killing of Hugo Spadafora, his political opponent.In 1995, Noriega was convicted in absentia over Spadafora's kidnapping and killing.He has been in France since 2010, after two decades in an American prison.Authorities have strengthened security to guarantee Noriega's safety in Panama, according to Panamanian Foreign Minister, Roberto Henriquez."We have to be ready for all the possibilities in all aspects. Noriega inspires very big emotions, and Noriega's life could very well be at risk in Panama," Henriquez said.Judicial officials in Panama will determine whether Noriega can stand trial, Henriquez said.Interior Minister, Roxana Mendez, said Noriega would receive the same treatment as other inmates in the Panamanian prison where he would be taken to on Sunday.'The Panamanian state has no special consideration when it comes to him serving his sentence inside the prison complex,' Mendez said.'However, based on our laws, and if there's a valid request from his attorneys, they can ask that he be transferred from the prison to house arrest if the inmate's health is in jeopardy or if the inmate, being over 70 years old, may face risks inside the prison complex."
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