MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Pinochet Daughter Drops U.S. Asylum Bid

The oldest daughter of former dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochet returned to Chile Saturday to face tax evasion charges after dropping a surprise bid for political asylum in the United States, where she said she lived “a nightmare.”

Lucia Pinochet, 60, was detained following her arrival in Chile's capital, Santiago, where she was met by a judge who served her notice of tax evasion and false passport charges.

The daughter of the former dictator told a reporter for Chile's state television on her flight that she was "very badly treated" in the United States.

She said she was forced to wear a prison uniform and handcuffed when taken to appear before an immigrations official.

"It was a real nightmare," she said. Pinochet was detained in Washington because of an international arrest warrant. Judge Carlos Cerda ordered Pinochet held at an academy for corrections officers until at least Monday pending a decision by the Santiago Court of Appeals on whether to uphold the bail she was granted before leaving the country.

Pinochet, the oldest daughter of the 90-year old former strongman, left Chile last Sunday, hours after she was to appear in court to be served with a subpoena along with her mother, two sisters and a brother, who face similar charges. Her relatives appeared before the court and were granted bail.

Her father is charged with tax evasion related to secret multimillion-dollar overseas accounts and with human rights abuses during his 1973-1990 reign.

Speaking with state television aboard the plane, she said she dropped her asylum request "in the wake of what they were saying in Chile, so I'm here to face the charges, although it hurts."

She has said that she considers the charges against her family to be political persecution.

Chilean officials have said that she was not entitled to asylum because that status should not apply to citizens of countries where the rule of law prevails.