A French appeals court has approved the extradition of jailed former Panamanian military dictator Manuel Noriega to his native country, to serve time for embezzlement, corruption and murder.

Noriega ruled Panama from 1983 to 1989, until he was ousted by U.S. military forces and later convicted in the United States.

He was found guilty in the U.S. in 1992 on eight counts of drug trafficking, racketeering and money laundering and spent some two decades in custody, both serving his sentence and in legal limbo after his jail term ended.

In 2010, the United States extradited him to France to face money laundering charges. He was convicted and sentenced to seven years in jail.

Noriega, who is in his late 70s, is reported to suffer from health problems.