(June 28) -- Just two months after being extradited from the U.S.

-- where he ha
d served more than 20 years in jail -- ex-Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega is
now facing another lengthy stretch in jail.
The former Central American strongman, 76, today went on trial in Paris, accused
of laundering Colombian drug money through French bank accounts. If found guilt
y, Noriega could go down for another 10 years.
Eyewitnesses reported that the aging general -- who ruled Panama from 1981 to 19
89, when he was deposed by an American invasion -- looked frail and sick as he s
tarted his testimony in court. The Associated Press noted that Noriega was shaki
ng as he confirmed his personal details.
Manuel Noriega
AP
Manuel Noriega poses for a 1990 U.S. booking photo. Now on trial in Paris, he is
accused of using French banks to launder drug money.
He also appeared unclear about his own birth date. Speaking through a translator
, Noriega initially said he was born on Feb. 11, 1936, then corrected himself, c
hanging the year to 1934. The French indictment, meanwhile, lists him as being b
orn in 1938.
The pockmarked ex-dictator is accused of stashing some $2.8 million from Colombi
a's Medellin cocaine cartel in France's Bank of Credit and Commerce Internationa
l, which collapsed in 1991 after widespread fraud was discovered. Those drug fun
ds were allegedly used by his wife Felicidad (who faces no charges) and a shell
company to buy three luxury Paris apartments that have since been seized by the
French state.
Noriega has consistently denied taking money from the cocaine clans and claims t
he cash came from his brother's inheritance, his wife's personal fortune and pay
ments made to him by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency.
Since his arrival at Paris' notorious La Sante prison in April, Noriega's lawyer
s have been pushing for his release, arguing that as a prisoner of war he has im
munity from the charges. They also claim La Sante -- where Noriega is housed in
a 7- by 10-foot cell -- is too dirty and decrepit for an elderly man with health
complications.
According to his legal team, Noriega is suffering from blood pressure problems a
nd is partially paralyzed on his left side due to a 2006 stroke. So far, his law
yers claim, the general hasn't been allowed to see a doctor.
Lawyer Yves Leberquier also presented the court with a recent report by a Europe
an Union human rights commissioner that condemned conditions at La Sante as bein
g "at the limits of human dignity." He challenged the judges to visit the jail a
nd see whether it meets the conditions demanded by the Geneva Convention.
Noriega wasn't always treated so poorly in France. In 1987, French President Fra
ncois Mitterrand awarded him the country's highest honor, the Legion d'honneur.
Back then, Noriega could also count on the backing of the U.S. government and th
e CIA. That is, of course, until 1989, when the general's connection with Colomb
ian drug smugglers -- and the violent harassment of U.S. citizens and soldiers b
y his security forces -- became so embarrassing that President George H.W. Bush
ordered American troops to topple the troublesome former ally.

Panama's ex-dictator Noreiga stands trial in France

Noriega surrendered on Jan. 3, 1990, and was brought to the U.S. for trial on ra
cketeering, drug trafficking and money laundering charges, then jailed in Miami.
Even if France sets the former dictator free, his legal troubles won't be over.
Panama has asked France to send him home to face trial for human rights abuses,
and if found guilty there, he could face a further 54 years in jail.