The Return of the General

Tyranny follows the tyrant. Woe to the man who leaves a shadow that bears his form.
Victor Hugo

Each man is his own prisoner, in solitary confinement for life.
Robert A. Heinlein

He craved for power and became a tyrant. He craved wealth and became a criminal.
R. M. Koster


These days, many politicians in Panamá are feeling uneasy, particularly those in the governing Partido Revolucionario Democrático (PRD). That’s because the prodigal patriarch may soon be on his way home.

The United States Federal Bureau of Prisons recently posted on its website that September 9, 2007 is the projected release date—with time off for good behavior—of one of the world’s most notorious felons: Manuel Antonio Noriega, former Panamanian strongman.

In December of 1989, the US invaded Panamá with the expressed purpose of bringing the dictator to trial on assorted charges, including drug trafficking. And in 1990, at the age of 51 (although some claim that Noriega is five years older than his officially given age), the General was sentenced to forty years in prison (later reduced to thirty).

It appears that most Panamanians assumed that Noriega would not live out his sentence. Even the members of the PRD—the party he helped found and once led—seemed relieved that he was behind bars in a foreign country. But what has surprised quite a few people here in Panamá—although the possibility of his 2007 parole has been known ever since his sentence was revised—is that the United States will indeed set Manuel Antonio Noriega free after only serving seventeen years.

If he returns to Panamá things will certainly get messy.

The day the General leaves his Miami prison cell for good he will be sixty-nine years old. While incarcerated, Noriega became a born-again Christian and he suffered a minor stroke. Still, in spite of being a debilitated and repentant senior citizen, the prospect of his homecoming is making the nation’s leaders nervous.

I moved to Panamá in 2003. At the time it was impossible for me to envision that only thirteen years earlier this nation had been living in the ironclad grip of a military dictatorship. And that thought continues to challenge my imagination.

But since I’ve been here I’ve also noticed that many citizens—from all walks of life—are indebted to the General. What’s more, a few of them continue to have considerable political influence. Because of this, the approaching shadow of Manuel Antonio Noriega is making them uncomfortable.

Undoubtedly, Martín Torrijos, Panamá’s current president, stands the most to lose with Noriega’s return. Torrijos’s party, the PRD, is Noriega’s former party. Among its ranks are persons who were once subserviently loyal to the dictator. And it’s conceivable that several of them may be secretly relishing the return of their former master.

President Torrijos has been tightlipped about the General’s impending release. He has limited himself to stating that Noriega’s return is not a concern of his government, but of the judicial system. But as of today there are no signs that Panamá will solicit his extradition.

On the other hand, in two appointments that have been highly controversial, Martín Torrijos awarded positions in Panamá’s diplomatic corps to Noriega’s daughters. And even with the President’s assurances to the contrary, it very much looks like he is paying back old debts.

A few possible scenarios concerning the General’s fate upon his release:

—Panamá can request his extradition. He was tried here in absentia and sentenced for a number of crimes.

—He could be extradited to France, where he faces charges for money laundering.

—He could be allowed to live quietly in exile; most likely in the Dominican Republic, where his eldest daughter lives.

—Martín Torrijos could pardon him, which would clear the way for his unencumbered return to Panamá.

The smart money is betting that, once released, Manuel Antonio Noriega will be on a plane to the Dominican Republic.

Nevertheless, even this outcome would create problems for the current government. There are growing voices of concern—ranging from politicians of the opposition to average citizens—who are demanding that Noriega serve out the sentence assigned to him by Panamá’s judicial system. These clamors will not die out, and the opposition, with their chants for justice, will undoubtedly make Torrijos’s last couple of years in power uncomfortable.

(Surprisingly, several Panamanians have told me that they would welcome Noriega’s return to power because the General would restore order to a society that they believe has gone soft on street crime.)

Regardless, two things are certain: first, the United States does not want the General back in Panamá, for his presence will undoubtedly bring chaos in its wake; and second, the ruling Partido Revolucionario Democrático, although beholden to the General—or perhaps because it is in his debt—would be better off if its former leader goes into exile, permanently.

Yet the question remains: once released, where will Manuel Antonio Noriega go?