Noriega, 2 others indicted for 1970 murder

General Manuel Antonio Noriega and two other officers of the former Fuerzas de Defensa have been indicted for the murder of Heliodoro Portugal, who went missing on May 14, 1970, sources in the Ministerio Público said yesterday.

The charges against Noriega, who was the head of the intelligence agency G-2 during that time, for and the two other officers, who have not yet been identified, come after a judge authorized the reopening of the case. Prosecutor Janeth Rovetto said that new information has been gathered in the case, which led to the charges being filed.

The two unidentified defendants, a lieutenant and a captain, have not yet been notified of the charges. It is unlikely that they will be imprisoned because of their ages. In 2006, nine people were tried for the crime, but the only person convicted, retired Colonel Ricardo Garibaldo, died of a heart attack before a sentence could be imposed.