( CNN ) -- France has ordered the extradition of former Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega to Panama , where he faces charges that he ordered a political rival to be killed . The former dictator has a month to appeal . He was notified of the extradition order on July 29 , a French Foreign Ministry spokesman said Wednesday . Last year , a French court sentenced Noriega to seven years in prison for money laundering . Noriega also was fined almost 2.3 million euros ( $ 2.9 million ) , the amount of drug money he was accused of laundering through French banks . Noriega denied the charges . Noriega could be back in Panama by early September ; that 's when he has a final court date mandated after the appeal term is up . But Noriega 's lawyer , Yves Leberquier , said the former leader will not appeal the extradition order . During the French trial , Noriega told the court he once had a strong relationship with the United States . However , the United States gave consent to French authorities to begin the process to extradite Noriega . The U.S. government has portrayed Noriega as the ultimate crooked cop -- a man who was paid millions by the Medellin drug cartel in Colombia to protect cocaine and money shipments . He was in U.S. custody from 1990 and was convicted of drug trafficking and other crimes . U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton cleared the way for Noriega to be sent to France in April 2010 after he spent 20 years in a U.S. federal prison . Panamanian officials want him to face justice there in the case of the killing of Hugo Spadafora , a doctor and political opponent of Noriega . Noriega was convicted in absentia of being involved with the kidnapping and killing of Spadafora in 1985 . CNN 's Saskya Vandoorne contributed to this report .
NEW : Yves Leberquier could be back in France by a month . NEW : He will not appeal the extradition order , his attorney says . He is accused in Panama of ordering the killing of a political rival . The French leader was sentenced in Panama for money laundering .