No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeArchivePanamanian Gov’t to Sell Mansion Seized from Noriega

Panamanian Gov’t to Sell Mansion Seized from Noriega

PANAMA CITY – A mansion in Panama City seized in 1990 from Gen. Manuel Antonio Noriega will be the first of the former strongman’s properties to be sold off this year, the press reported Sunday.

A call for bids on the property, which is in poor condition but still valued at $1.5 million, will be made in two months by the Public Contracts Agency of the Economy and Finance Ministry, according to the daily La Prensa.

“The articles seized that have value for the state are being maintained. Those in bad condition will be eliminated,” said Edwin Gómez, head of the agency’s public property section.

The Comptroller General’s Office agreed last June to transfer all assets, including bank accounts and art works, in Noriega’s name to the government for disposition.

A Panamanian court determined that Noriega amassed a personal fortune of $24 million that he could not justify, having earned a total of only $648,583 during his 1962-1989 military career.

Noriega, who is serving time in a Florida prison for drug trafficking, will be released in September 2007 after a reduction of his sentence for good behavior (NT, March 17).

Noriega will have to return to Panama, since he does not have a visa to remain in the United States, according to former general’s lawyer.

The general, who ruled Panama from 1983 to 1989 and is incarcerated in the Federal Correctional Institution in Miami, has been behind bars since Jan. 28, 1990, for conspiracy to distribute cocaine.

U.S. troops invaded Panama on Dec. 20, 1989, to remove Noriega from power.

He was captured and transferred to Florida, where a federal court found him guilty on several counts of drug trafficking and sentenced him to 40 years in prison.

In 1999, judicial authorities reduced his sentence and now it has been reduced again for good conduct and for time served prior to his trial.

 

Trending Now

2025 Gold Cup: Honduras Advances After Dramatic Shootout, Mexico Ends Goal Drought

Honduras, with a surprising and dramatic penalty shootout victory over Panama, and Mexico, with a lackluster win against Saudi Arabia, advanced Saturday to the...

Life After MS-13 in El Salvador as Residents Seek a Fragile Peace

Esperanza Martinez lost three relatives who were murdered and saw numerous bodies left in the streets of her neighborhood, a former stronghold of the...

Costa Rica’s Congress Expands Organized Crime Probe, Summons Ex-Presidents

Costa Rica’s Legislative Assembly is intensifying its investigation into alleged links between public officials and organized crime. Earlier today, the Special Permanent Commission on...

Peruvian Scientists Identify New Frog Species in Piura’s Highlands

A team of Peruvian scientists recently identified three new frog species in the misty peaks of the Huancabamba mountain range in northern Peru’s Piura...

Costa Rica’s Chaves Slams Supreme Court as “National Disgrace” in Corruption Case

On Wednesday, President Rodrigo Chaves didn’t hold back. In his weekly press conference, he slammed the Supreme Court, calling it a “national disgrace” that’s...

El Salvador Sentences Ex-Military Chiefs for 1982 Murder of Dutch Journalists

A court in El Salvador sentenced three former military chiefs to 60 years in prison on Thursday for the murder of four Dutch journalists...
Avatar
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica