Noriega Denied Pardon by France
story by La Prensa
The French Justice Ministry yesterday denied the possibility of pardon by President Nicolas Sarkozy to Manuel Noriega to save him from being extradited because French law allows a pardon only after a person has received a final sentence.
Noriega was convicted in absentia in France in 1999, but is entitled to a new trial when he arrives there.
"You can not pardon someone who has not been definitively condemned," said Guillaume Didier, a spokesman for the Ministry of Justice of France, responding to questions on the Noriega case.
Noriega requested a pardon through a London-based attorney, Giovanni di Stefano. Noriega is also fighting the extradition request in U.S. courts, and is waiting for the Supreme Court to decide if it will hear an appeal of the case.
Noriega faces criminal charges in France related to his activities when he was head of the military dictatorship in Panama. He has finished serving a sentence in the U.S., but has voluntarily remained in that country while fighting an extradition request by French authorities.
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