Judge searches Pinochet's office

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Chicago Tribune

Items compiled from Tribune news services
Published January 7, 2005


SANTIAGO -- A judge backed by eight detectives searched the office of Gen. Augusto Pinochet on Thursday as the former dictator remained under house arrest west of Santiago on charges of kidnapping and homicide.

The search was part of a separate investigation by Judge Sergio Munoz of multimillion-dollar accounts kept by the retired general at Riggs Bank in Washington.

The judge did not comment, but Chilean media reported that he seized some documents.

Pinochet's chief lawyer, Pablo Rodriguez, called the raid "illegal" because his client has immunity from prosecution as a former president.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0501070286jan07,1,2838687.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed&ctrack=1&cset=true

[Moderator]

1. Duplicate

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=1129563

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2. Taipei Times:

Believers in justice are finally closing in on Augusto Pinochet

By Jorge Arrate

Friday, Jan 07, 2005,Page 9

Advertising The court battle on whether or not to punish former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet is now over. After prolonged reflection on medical reports regarding Pinochet's health, Judge Juan Guzman found him mentally fit to stand trial on nine counts of kidnapping and one count of homicide. Chile's Supreme Court has now upheld that indictment. All of those crimes were committed during "Operation Condor," a Latin America-wide program among the continent's dictators to physically eliminate their opponents from the Left.
Judge Guzman also determined that the former dictator is not insane and knows right from wrong. This is critical, as Pinochet has sought to deny his competency. A recent "vascular incident" that sent him to a military hospital -- where he regained consciousness and motor skills -- will furnish excuses to request new medical examinations and delays as criminal proceedings move forward.

But Guzman's efforts to bring the dictator to justice should not remain isolated. Other judges and official bodies need to keep the pressure on Pinochet.

Much, for example, is still to be learned in cases such as the assassination of General Carlos Prats and his wife in Buenos Aires in 1974. Moreover, investigations by the US Congress into the Riggs Bank have uncovered the suspicious means by which Pinochet and his family obtained their wealth. These investigations need to be followed up with judicial action.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/edit/archives/2005/01/07/2003218400