Chilean judge orders arrest of Pinochet family

Oct 5, 2007, 0:27 GMT

Santiago - A Chilean judge on Thursday ordered the arrest of the five children of late Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, as well as the arrest of his widow and 17 other relatives and advisors on corruption charges, the online edition of the daily El Mercurio reported.

Augusto Pinochet, who died in December 2006, ruled Chile with an iron fist from 1973 to 1990, when around 3,000 opponents of his right-wing regime were killed and tens of thousands more detained, tortured or driven into exile.

The suspects were arrested in connection with the so-called Riggs case, in which Pinochet was alleged to have kept 26 million dollars in secret bank accounts.

Jaime Mendez, head of public affairs at the Investigative Police, said 19 people had been arrested so far. None of them resisted and some of them voluntarily turned themselves in to the authorities, he said.

'We are going to appeal to the courts so that this (procedure) receives an exemplary sanction, because it is not possible that situations like this happen in Chile,' said Pablo Rodriguez Grez, legal counsel for Pinochet's widow Lucia Hiriart, 84.

Rodriguez Grez said his client suffered a blood pressure problem that made it necessary for her to be taken to the Military Hospital, where she was being treated.

The 23 suspects are charged with diverting public funds for the benefit of the late dictator and his closest relatives.

Among the people for whom arrest warrants were issued were 13 former members of the Chilean security forces, including two generals, and 10 civilians, including Pinochet's former executor Oscar Aitken and the personal secretary of the late dictator, Monica Ananias.

Judge Carlos Cerda said most of the suspects were located without trouble and have been notified of the arrest warrants against them.

After meeting with Chilean President Michelle Bachelet for one hour, Justice Minister Carlos Maldonado said once the arrests are carried out there will be no privileges for these suspects.

'There is no reason to have special measures beyond those in place for any arrested person, which means preserving their integrity, their safety, and preventing them from escaping justice,' Maldonado noted.

In 2004, the US Senate uncovered secret Pinochet accounts, held mainly at the Washington-based Riggs bank, and Chilean authorities accused Pinochet of massive tax evasion and corruption. He was found to have at least 128 secret accounts, set up with scores of fake passports and holding perhaps 100 million dollars or more.

The corruption allegations, even more than his earlier brutality, cost Pinochet many of his long-standing political allies.