NORIEGA

PARIS (Reuters):

FRANCE HAD "taken note" of a United States court ruling in the case of former Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega, but an official yesterday declined comment on his possible extradition to Paris after his United States (U.S.) prison term ends.

Noriega, 72, was sentenced in absentia to 10 years in prison by a Paris court in 1999 on charges of laundering millions of French francs generated by the drugs trade through banks CIC, BNP, Credit Lyonnais and Banco do Brasil. Luxury apartments owned by Noriega and his family in Paris were also seized.

The former Panamanian strongman is due to appear before a U.S. magistrate on France's extradition request on Tuesday after a separate U.S. judge on Friday denied him a speedy return home when he is released from prison in Florida on September 9, after serving 17 years for drug trafficking and racketeering.

A French diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, said yesterday France had "taken note" of Friday's ruling.

French Justice Ministry Spokesman, Guillaume Didier, declined to comment, noting the legal process was ongoing.

There are suspicions in Panama that France has asked for Noriega's extradition in the hope of winning contracts to widen the Panama canal for French construction companies.

The extradition request was lodged sometime this summer, according to the weekend edition of Le Monde newspaper.

"Nicolas Sarkozy has agreed to do a favour to the U.S. and Panamanian governments in order to obtain a slice of the cake of the US$5.25 billion enlargement of the Panama Canal," Le Monde quoted a Panamanian academic, Miguel Angel Bernal, as saying.

Sarkozy's office declined to comment on the allegation.