CHILE: A special Chilean judge questions former dictator Augusto Pinochet as a witness in the case of the murder of a former Commander of the Chilean army

A special Chilean judge visited the residence of former dictator Augusto Pinochet in Santiago on Monday (July 31) to question him as a witness in the case of the murder of a former Commander in Chief of the Chilean army. Magistrate Alejandro Solis visited Pinochet for a half an hour at his Chilean home as part of the inquiry into the death of General Carlos Prats, who was murdered in Buenos Aires in 1974. Solis visited Pinochet to help him compile further records on the murder of Prats, who served as Commander in Chief of the Chilean army under Salvador Allende. Pinochet was investigated some years ago fur his alleged responsibility in the murder of Prats and his wife Sofia Cuthbert, but ill health prevented him from being indicted at the time. Speaking after his visit with Pinochet, Magistrate Alejandro Solis said he had complied with all the desired procedures in the case, which included questioning the former dictator. "I fulfilled one of the last procedures that was pending in the Prats case, which was the questioning of former president Augusto Pinochet. We went to his residence, we had a minute of questioning and the procedure was complied with," he said. The judge asked Pinochet, who ruled Chile between 1973 and 1990, exactly nine questions during their time together. Prosecuting lawyer Hernan Quezada said it was believed important to question Pinochet, even if only as a witness, for the records. "We consider it was important that he was questioned anyway, even as a witness, because he must have records which contribute to the investigation," he said. But Pinochet's lawyer Pablo Rodriguez said that there was nothing to connect his client with Prats' murder, and that Pinochet had held Prats in great esteem. "There is not one record that connects us to this deed. Furthermore, he cared a lot for General Prats and had a lot of affection for him. He even helped General Prats leave the country after September 11," he said. Solis' investigation is attempting to determine the degree of autonomy granted the DINA, Chile's repressive intelligence service led by Manuel Contreras, and its responsibility in Prats death. Prats was killed in a car bomb in Buenos Aires, which also killed his wife. He had left Chile after Allende's socialist government was overthrown, and had spoken out in favour of a return to democracy. Pinochet, now 90 years of age, is facing charges in a number of cases regarding human rights abuses committed under his brutal regime. He led a 17-year dictatorship in Chile after a 1973 coup and more than 3,000 people died in political violence and tens of thousands were detained and tortured during the regime. He has been indicted on tax evasion charges related to an estimated $27 million he held in offshore accounts. The courts are also investigating embezzlement accusations against Pinochet.

ITN Source | August 1, 2006

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