Manuel Noriega, former military dictator of Panama and jailed for decades has died. He had been in intensive care since March for brain hemorrhage after a surgical procedure.

President Juan Carlos Varela announced on a tweet "The death of Manuel A. Noriega closes a chapter in our history; his daughters and his relatives deserve to bury him in peace". Noriega was 83.

An official cause of death was not immediately available.

Noriega was for some time an ally of the United states, but his ties to drug trafficking led to his removal in 1989. This was the largest American military action since Vietnam War.

He was serving long sentences for murder, embezzlement and corruption in connection with his rule during the 1980s.

It is estimated his illicit gains came close to $800 million. It is believed Noriega sold Fidel Castro thousands of Panamanian passports, at 5,000 each, for use by Cuban secret service, and possibly Soviets agents.