Chile's Supreme Court Hearing on Pinochet's Appeal Ends

Defense and plaintiffs' allegations in the Supreme Court hearing on the appeal against the deprivation of the immunity of former Chilean military ruler Augusto Pinochet ended Friday afternoon after three sessions.

Chilean Supreme Court President Judge Hernan Alvarez announced at the end of the allegations that the 20 judges that make up the top court will hold a plenary meeting on July 25, to start studying the theme of Pinochet's appeal against the request to deprive him of his lifetime senator immunity, and that a resolution could be reached the next week.

The Supreme Court hearing for Pinochet's appeal started on July 19. The judges listened during the first session to the relation of the Court reader on the case of the former commander in chief of the Army.

The three-day hearing was called after the retired general appealed a June 5 ruling by the Santiago Court of Appeals stripping him of his parliamentary immunity. The court decided to meet again on Tuesday to deliberate on a final decision, which is expected in early August.

Pinochet had enjoyed legal immunity as a "senator for life," a title he took as a former president under the constitution adopted by his military regime.

The demand to strip the Pinochet's immunity was brought by Judge Juan Guzman, appointed to coordinate claims lodged against Pinochet since January 1998.

On Thursday, an attorney for defended the former leaders, Pinochet claiming he was innocent and had no links to a series of summary executions in 1973.

The attorney, Ricardo Rivadeneira argued that the 84-year-old former military ruler was too ill to stand trial and defend himself. Pinochet suffers from cardiovascular problems and diabetes.

But under Chilean law, a defendant's poor physical health does not prevent a trial from going ahead.

After appearing before the court on Friday, Rivadeneira said he was "optimistic."

But the petitioner's attorneys were also confident, with one saying he had "not the least doubt that the Supreme Court can do nothing but affirm the stripping of the immunity."

If the lower court ruling is upheld, Pinochet could go on trial for any of the 146 criminal complaints lodged against him, all stemming from incidents during his iron-fisted 1973-1990 rule, when more than 3,000 people were killed or went missing.



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