Lawyer: Panama’s ex-dictator Noriega sick but a ‘fighter’ as he settles into French prison

Panama’s Noriega settles into French prison

PARIS — A lawyer for former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega says he is sick and struggling to settle into a French prison, but is in fighting spirits.

Noriega, who is in his 70s, spent his first night in Paris’ La Sante prison after being extradited from the United States.

He was deposed in a U.S. invasion in 1989, then spent 20 years in a Miami prison on drug trafficking charges. He arrived in France on Tuesday to face money laundering charges here.

Defense lawyer Yves Leberquier told The Associated Press on Wednesday that Noriega “is an old man, tired and sick” and needs wardens to support him up and down stairs.

But Leberquier added that “mentally, he’s getting stronger. He’s a fighter.”