Noriega could be extradited back to Panama

French authorities have agreed to extradite former Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega to his native Panama, his lawyer said Tuesday.

Yves Leberquier said that French Prime Minister Francois Fillon signed the extradition on July 6 and that Noriega was notified last week.

It was not immediately clear when Noriega would be sent home.

Panama's foreign ministry said Tuesday it has not been notified that an extradition order for Noriega was signed. Officials said they are looking into the matter.

Noriega was imprisoned in the United States for two decades after being deposed in a 1989 U.S. invasion. He was sent from Florida to France last year to face money laundering charges, where he was sentenced to seven years in prison.

Prosecutors alleged Noriega funnelled millions of dollars in the late 1980s through his French bank accounts. The money was said to have come in the form of kickbacks from a Colombian cocaine cartel.

A Panamanian court has convicted Noriega — military dictator from 1983 to 1989 —in the death of a military commander. He faces 20 years in jail in the case.