Court strips Pinochet of immunity

Chile's former military ruler, Augusto Pinochet, has been stripped of his immunity from prosecution for embezzlement charges. The ruling by the Supreme Court is in connection with an investigation over bank accounts held by General Pinochet overseas. The charges include tax evasion, filing a false tax return and using false passports to open accounts abroad. The Supreme Court upheld a ruling by the Santiago Court of Appeals. In September, Gen Pinochet, who is 89-years-old, was stripped of his immunity from prosecution in relation to the disappearance of dozens of dissidents during "Operation Colombo" in 1973. He is currently undergoing new medical tests to determine whether he can stand trial for human rights abuses in relation to this case. Efforts to try Gen Pinochet on human rights charges have so far failed. In previous cases, the Supreme Court has lifted Gen Pinochet's immunity from prosecution but later found him unfit to stand trial on medical grounds.