Final homecoming

Former dictator Manuel Noriega flew from France to his native Panama on Sunday to serve more prison time on charges relating to his bloody rule from 1983 to 1989.

Noriega, 77, has already served more than 20 years in American and French prisons for drug trafficking and money laundering. A Panamanian court convicted him in absentia of three cases of homicide involving 11 murders, including the beheading in 1985 of Hugo Spadafora, a physician who threatened to blow the whistle on Noriega's drug trafficking ties.

Each conviction carries 20 years in prison, sentences which are to be served concurrently.

Accompanied by Panama's attorney general and a doctor, Noriega was taken from France to Panama on a commercial flight. He then flew by helicopter to El Renacer prison on the banks of the Panama Canal.

"While Panama is known for being peaceful and tolerant, emotions are running high and inmate safety is our priority," Panama's Foreign Minister Roberto Henriquez said Friday. "He will get the same treatment as any other inmate - dignified and respectful but firm."

Comfy prison?

Some controversy has arisen surrounding Noriega's accommodation - a "recently remodeled" facility with a private bathroom and various high-tech features intended to boost security. Local media has reported his cell will include a small visiting room, a double bed, a refrigerator, furniture and chairs.

"What has he done to be rewarded with such luxury in jail?" asked Carmenza Spadafora, sister of the beheaded Hugo Spadafora. Because of his age, Noriega may also petition to serve out his sentences under house arrest.

The former dictator was on the CIA payroll from 1968 to 1986, when he fell out of Washington's favor because of ties to Colombian drug traffickers and his rigging of elections.

After a failed coup attempt in 1989, the US military invaded Panama and Noriega was captured and transferred to the United States. He was extradited to France in 2010 and convicted of money laundering before a French court ordered his final extradition to Panama earlier this year.

Author: Andrew Bowen, Joanna Impey (AFP, AP, Reuters)
Editor: Andreas Illmer