Judge approves Noriega's extradition from U.S to France - International Herald Tribune

re: "Former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega is a step closer to facing money-laundering charges in France after a federal judge in Miami approved his extradition Tuesday, less than two weeks before the end of his U.S. prison sentence on a drug racketeering conviction. /Attorneys for the 73-year-old Noriega vowed to continue fighting for his return home to Panama, but they have now lost before two different judges. Noriega is scheduled to be released Sept. 9 from a federal prison outside Miami where he has been held since his 1992 conviction...[snip]...France wants Noriega to face charges of laundering more than $3 million (€2.2 million) in drug proceeds through French banks, with some of the money used to buy luxury apartments in Paris. Noriega faces another 10 years in prison if convicted on those charges..."...