WHAT’S THE STORY?
FORMER Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega, a one-time US ally and later ousted by an American invasion in 1989, has died aged 83.
Panama President Juan Carlos Varela tweeted that his the death “closes a chapter in our history”.
Noriega served a 17-year sentence in the US and the final years of his life were spent in a Panamanian prison for murder of political opponents during his 1983-89 regime. Recently, he suffered various ailments including the rapid growth of a benign brain tumour first spotted in 2012.
He is survived by his wife and three daughters.
HOW DID HE COME TO POWER?
KNOWN mockingly as “Pineapple Face” for his pockmarked complexion, Noriega was born poor in Panama City on February 11, 1934 and raised by foster parents.
He joined Panama’s Defence Forces in 1962 and rose through the ranks through loyalty to his mentor, General Omar Torrijos, who became Panama’s de facto leader after a 1968 coup. Two years after Torrijos died in a mysterious plane crash in 1981, Noriega became the head of the armed forces and Panama’s de facto ruler.
Noriega ruled with an iron fist and wielded great influence outside the country thanks to longstanding relationships with spy agencies around the world. Huge changes were made under his rule: taking over the Panama Canal from US control in 1999, expanding the waterway and fostering a tourism and real estate boom.
Today the Central American nation has little in common with the bombed-out neighbourhoods where Noriega hid during the 1989 invasion.
WHAT WERE HIS TIES TO THE US?
NORIEGA was considered a valued CIA asset and was paid millions of dollars for assistance, including acting as a liaison to Cuban leader Fidel Castro, helping the US to seize drugs at sea, tracking money laundering, and reporting on guerilla and terrorist activities.
Washington ultimately turned sour on him, especially after a top political opponent was killed in 1985 and Noriega appeared to join forces with drug traffickers. Several Panamanian military coups were attempted but failed, and their leaders were executed.
HOW DID HIS RULE COME TO AN END?
IN 1988 federal grand juries in Florida indicted Noriega on drug-trafficking charges. He reacted with defiance, prompting then US President George HW Bush to order the invasion of Panama in 1989, which successfully captured Noriega and brought him to Miami.
Noriega was convicted in 1992, though jurors were told not to consider things like the US’s justification for invading in the first place. He accused Washington of a “conspiracy” to keep him behind bars and tied his legal troubles to his refusal to co-operate with a US plot to topple the Nicaraguan government in the 80s.
After completing his sentence in 2007, Noriega was extradited to France and received a seven-year sentence for money laundering.
He later returned to Panama to face in-absentia convictions and two prison terms of 20 years for embezzlement, corruption and murder of opponents.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here