MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Pinochet's family and foundation bank accounts frozen.

In light of court evidence showing that former Chilean General Augusto Pinochet possesses an unaccounted fortune, allegedly accumulated during his long years as dictator, Chile's biggest bank, Banco de Chile, froze the accounts of the Foundation named after him and those of his immediate family, including a savings account of a 7-year-old grandson.

According to the Santiago press the Pinochet family attributes the drastic bank decision to the discovery of the General's accounts in the Washington based Riggs Bank and the insistence, "persecution" of Judge Sergio Muñoz".

The magistrate is investigating accusations of alleged tax evasion, illicit enrichment and fraud in connection with some 16 million US dollars discovered last year in previously secret accounts owned by the Pinochet family at Washington's Riggs Bank.

Late last year Judge Muñoz froze Mr. Pinochet's assets. He also has questioned the former dictator face-to-face about the monies and likewise taken statements from Pinochet's children and close associates.

Last week the magistrate carried out a search of Mr. Pinochet's Santiago offices in an effort to find "important documents" related to the hidden fortune.

Santiago daily El Mercurio said Lucia, the retired general's daughter, was the first to be notified by the Bank of Chile, last Wednesday that her 35-year-old account there had been frozen and the rest of the family were advised of the situation the following days.

The 89-year-old retired general is secluded at his coastal estate of Los Boldos under house arrest awaiting trial on murder and kidnapping charges stemming from the repressive years during his long dictatorial regime, 1973/1990.

After handing the presidential office to elected civilians rulers in 1990 Mr. Pinochet continued as Commander in Chief of the powerful Chilean Army and a domineering figure in the country's politics from his for life seat in the Senate.

Speaking from Cairo, Egypt, Chilean President Ricardo Lagos admitted that "nothing is sufficient to heal the wounds of the Pinochet regime sufferings".

However he said that "Chile has done more than the immense majority of countries where human rights have been abused. The people who ran the country then are facing charges".

President Lagos stressed that his administration has not intervened in the more than 300 court cases related to atrocities carried out during the 1973-90 dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. "The best demonstration (of the courts' independence) is that while on this trip I learned they are freezing the accounts of Gen. Augusto Pinochet".