Santiago, Chile - A prosecuting judge on Monday charged former dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochet with the kidnapping and murder of political opponents in the 1970s and ordered him placed under house arrest.He also faces inquiries in both the US and Chile over tax matters arising from secret accounts he held in the DC-based Riggs Bank.
Judge Juan Guzmán rejected defense arguments that Pinochet, 89, was unfit to stand trial in connection with an alleged homicide and nine alleged "persistent kidnappings" - meaning disappearances.
Prosecutors say they occurred as part of a coordinated campaign by Pinochet and other South American military strongmen to track down and eliminate their leftist opponents. It was code-named Operation Condor. ...
On Dec. 2, Pinochet was stripped of immunity in another case and could face prosecution in connection with the 1974 bombing murder in Argentina of Gen. Carlos Prats, his predecessor as army commander.
The U.S. Senate permanent committee on investigations published a report in July detailing money laundering and alleging that Riggs personnel helped Pinochet hide between $4 million and $8 million. ...Just lookin' our for our anti-communist friends, is all.
Documents obtained by the Senate investigative committee and recently publicized show that the U.S. and other foreign governments provided Pinochet with millions of dollars in "commissions" during the 25 years he served as dictator and later commander of the armed forces.
Riggs Bank records show Pinochet received $3 million from the United States in 1976, the year Operation Condor allegedly was in full bloom.
Footnote, Unintentional Humor Div.: Pinochet's lawyers referred to the judge's finding as "political persecution" and an abuse of Pinochet's human rights.
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