Pinochet stripped of immunity in tax evasion case

A Chilean appeals court stripped General Augusto Pinochet of immunity from prosecution today in a tax evasion case stemming from multimillion-dollar bank accounts the former Chilean leader held in the United States.

The 21-4 vote by the court adds to the legal troubles for the 89-year-old general, who is also facing a judicial investigation into alleged human rights abuses during his rule.

A Chilean judge has accused Pinochet of not paying taxes on several bank accounts found in his name containing up to $17m (€13.9m) at a Washington DC bank.

The existence of the accounts was disclosed last year in a report by a US Senate investigative committee.