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Ex-Panamanian dictator Noriega stands trial in Paris

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The trial of Manuel Noriega on money-laundering charges began in Paris on Monday with lawyers for the ex-Panamanian dictator arguing the proceedings were unlawful and he should be allowed to return home.

Noriega’s lawyers also said he had been betrayed by U.S. authorities after operating as a paid CIA agent, and noted that he had been awarded a Legion d’Honneur in the 1980s by then- French President Francois Mitterrand.

“He was abandoned by the Americans, because he was on the CIA’s payroll for years, because he carried out a number of highly important missions for them such as the liberation of hostages,” defense lawyer Olivier Metzner told reporters at the three-day trial in Paris.

Full story: Ex-Panamanian dictator Noriega stands trial in Paris | Reuters