MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Mrs. Pinochet free on bail

The wife of former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet was granted bail Thursday a day after having been charged together with her youngest son of tax fraud.

Lucia Hiriart Pinochet who is 82 was released because of her ill-health but Marco Antonio Pinochet was denied bail on the grounds he is a "danger to society.

They are indicted in tax fraud involving over a hundred bank accounts, mainly in Washington's Riggs Bank where Pinochet stashed millions of US dollars allegedly taken from Executive and Defence contingency funds while he was in office.

The sum involved is in excess of 25 million US dollars. Mrs. Pinochet bail was set at 3,700 US dollars.

Judge Sergio Muñoz is trying to indict the general of tax fraud related crimes based on the existence of the unreported bank accounts.

However his defense lawyers so far have been successful in slowing the case including an appeal to the Supreme Court following the decision to strip Pinochet from his prosecution immunity.

On Wednesday the 89 year old General called on authorities to stop investigating his family because he accepts full responsibility for the matters under investigation although he denies having evaded or eluded tax payments.