Panama's Noriega to be Released from US Prison in September (Pineapple Face going home)

Voice of America ^ | January 24, 2007 | Lisa Ferdinando

[HAL9000]

The defense attorney for Manuel Noriega says the former Panamanian dictator is to be released from a Miami prison in September. Lisa Ferdinando reports from Miami.

Noriega has been in U.S. custody since surrendering 17 years ago during the U.S. invasion of Panama.

He is currently serving a 30-year sentence for drug trafficking and money laundering.

"He has now come to the point where he has served what is known as his mandatory release time, which means the government must release him from custody on September 9th this year," said Frank Rubino, Noriega's attorney.

Rubino says good behavior was one of the factors considered for the release. He says his client plans return to Panama once out of U.S. custody.

"He has only been to the United States three times in his whole life and has no desire to stay here," he said. "Like anyone else, he wants to return to his home."

But in Panama, Noriega was convicted in absentia on murder charges, and Rubino says his client plans to defend himself in that case.

"When he returns to Panama, he will, through his lawyers, make a motion to reopen that trial so he can participate in it," he said.

Rubino says Noriega plans to do the same to fight a conviction in France.

Noriega ruled Panama for most of the 1980s. He was toppled by the U.S. invasion of Panama which began December 1989.

[Kenny Bunk]

Have the SOB shot.
Clean up his cell.
Move Hugo Chavez in.
Repeat with Evo Morales, Lula, Obrador, and left-wing clymer de jour.

[PAR35]

No, I need to correct myself. Federal Parole was abolished 20 years ago, so he would have been sentenced under the present setup.

Back to the drawing board.

[Sparky1776]

Maybe would could inplant a chip to track him......when he meets up with Hugo......Splat!

[Dog Gone]

That would make sense.

I think he should have an unfortunate slip and fall in the prison shower, but I think the time has passed where he could possibly regain any political power in Panama.

He's no hero down there anymore.

[Dog Gone]

Hmmm

There must be an obscure statute we don't know anything about.

[PAR35]

I'll try again. 54 days per year good time means that he would have accrued less than 3 years off. Still 10 years unaccounted for.

[PAR35]

I've never done any federal criminal law on either side (just some restitution related work), so I'm out of my depth here. If you come up with the answer, I'd like to know.

[elhombrelibre]

This should be interesting. I don't think his arrival in Panama will be greeted with any enthusiasm. And when most people there reminisce about him, it's not a fond memory.

[Levante]

A Mexican friend of mine said Noriega looks like someone beat him with a bag of nickels.

Personally, I think he looks as though his face was set on fire, then put out with an icepick.

[river rat]

Just in time to join Chavez, Ortega, and the other Communist assholes, South of our border....
nd will go out for Arab oil money -- it will come, and he will join the chorus of southern canaries singing the Islamist tune..

In a sane world, each and everyone of these "birds" would meet a timely and deserved "end"..

Semper Fi

[Finalapproach29er]

We returning to the 1980's, in reverse.

Sort of like the tide that came in is now beginning to recede.

Maybe Spiecher will turn up this spring, and we'll be leaving Iraq by summer.

[Thunder90]

Can we add Vladimir Putin and Hu Jintao to that list???

[PAR35]

AnAmericanMother - perhaps you can help on this thread. Dog Gone and I have been trying to figure out how Noriega qualifies for a release in 17 years on a 30 year sentence. It looks like he was sentenced after the reforms, so I would have thought he would have had to do more of his sentence.

Can you shed any light on this?

[tanuki]

I still think we should have left him in the mission. Pay a stipend to the Church for his care-beats the cost of incarcerating him ourselves.

[PH4G3]

Condemning this man to the trash heap of Central and South American history is, no doubt, a gut reaction when taking into consideration what Gen. Manuel Noriega was arrested for. However, in 1992, Gen. Noriega made a confession of faith to our Lord Jesus Christ. I have read his confession of faith and believe it to be a genuine conversion. So disparaging this man by condemning him to the same actions as our current lot of western hemisphere dictators might feel good, but it probably isnt't accurate.

[AnAmericanMother]

I really don't know. I thought the Federal no-parole rules would apply . . . maybe he was sentenced to 30 with 20 to serve, and got 3 years off for good behavior?

I haven't had anything to do with federal criminal procedure since I clerked for a federal district court judge from 1980 to 1982. When I was in private practice, I was a civil defense litigator . . . and now I work on the state law side so I hardly ever see any federal law. Last time I can remember even talking to the feds is when a district court judge had one of twelve companion cases on diversity jurisdiction, and called the state court to make sure he was singing from the same page as the judges who had the other 11 . . .

[MARTIAL MONK]

I googled and stole this:

In 1990, former Panamian dictator Manuel Noriega was sentenced in federal court in Florida to 30 years in prison for drug smuggling. Because his crimes pre-dated 1987, he wasn't sentenced under federal guidelines but was given a sentence that included release on parole. He was denied parole twice, and requested another consideration. Under the old parole guidelines, Noriega can be made to serve 20 of his 30 years. However, the parole commission, in its discretion, can grant him early release

[AmishDude]

There's only one reason he wants to go to Panama: coup.

[Dog Gone]

Thank you for that information.

[Kenny Bunk]

OK.

Ordering the orange jump suits now.