Pinochets Arrested

Thursday, October 04, 2007

Here are a couple articles about the arrest of Pinochet family members and assistants and the jailing of Pinochet's military cohorts in Santiago, Chile.

And if you wanna practice your Spanish here's some local coverage of the incarceration of the family, cohorts, et al and really the best person to listen to Tomas Dinges cuz he reported on the Riggs case when it was way hot for Diario 7 and got threats that make Pato seem like Pussy-willow. Click here to read and lemme know if it's any good.

Anyway, I've been "On the Run" lately, in a whirling spiral of iPods and electronics Samsara, so feel free to drop in some more coverage of this case, or your own coverage, in the comments below. Too bad that Pinocho himself won't get the cathartic axe this time, only his family, so only tepid catharsis if justice is served, Chileans will still have to look for healing in other ways. Like iPhones. Anybody?

14 Comments:

At 7:42 PM, Joel said...: Seems like his family is taking the fall for things people couldn't hold Augusto responsible for. I hope they're actually guilty.
At 11:13 PM, Chileno said...: Well, you know, Pinochet aka "Tata" was a family man and if his supporters ever come out to protest the arrests they might wanna leave their photos behind, the ones that celebrate his tender side by depicting him walking through the mountains with his grandchildren, photos that were popular among the rambunctious mourners during the so-called National Sorrow played out in the streets of Las Condes the day the General died. Such a sweet and caring man, no doubt about it.

I hope they're actually guilty.

I hope they're actually found guilty.
At 5:57 PM, mamacita chilena said...: Actually, I have heard ugly rumblings that this whole thing is actually a government ploy to distract public attention from the transantiasco fiasco and that the family members definitely won't be found guilty. I have absolutely no idea if this is true but I'm a gossip blogger so spreading rumors is what I do.

So anyways, it goes something like this...they are being charged with Swindling of Public Funds or something like that because the government knows it's impossible for them to be found guilty...the loophole is that only people who actually worked as government officials can be found guilty under those charges.

Again, I have no substantiation for this. Is that even a word, I don't know, I'm forgetting English little by little...
At 11:48 PM, Chileno said...: That's sweet Kyle but you gotta tell who told you.
At 12:05 PM, Matt said...: For me, the funniest thing about all this is the pathetically small amount of money that was siphoned off...$23 million spread amongst over 20 family members and friends? If you're going to rob a country, do it properly- follow the examples of countless african despots, buy castles in france and ferraris, power boats and iphones...even as a thief pinochet was mediocre. $23 million is pocket change to a first class dictator-thief and hardly worth getting out of bed for.
At 5:36 PM, tomasdinges said...: Hello folks,

Of course this discussion should be held on my site...but more people actually read Mr. C.hileno.

Joel. I think the challenge is to prove that everyone knew that the money that was going around went around illicitly.

So, if they were innocent, then they might have benefitted from said monies, but would have been ignorant to how it actually was generated.

It is important that they are found guilty, because if not it could indeed be explained away as a political show.

But, just as the left wing accused Pinochet of running to a hospital for an obscure ailment everytime he had a court date, the right wing always accuses the government of bringing up something to do with Pinochet whenever they are in hot water.

Kylie, you have been reading El Mercurio...and listening to them...or listening to the Udi.

That sort of criticism seems to happen a lot, yet it is never proved.
At 4:59 PM, Joel said...: I think I should have worded my post differently. I'm not sure everyone understood that I was implying that I think this whole thing is a witch hunt, and I certainly hope that there was actually a reason for all of this, and that they actually did something to deserve the prosecution.

I was with Mamacita Chilena when she said, "...actually a government ploy to distract public attention from..."

Of course this is all opinion on my part, but the whole thing feels a little dirty to me.
At 12:23 AM, Chileno said...: Matt I wouldn't have put my million dollar manicure at risk to type about this if we were only talking about 23 mil. According to Santiago Times:

>>>Some authorities suggest that the Pinochet family’s unaccounted for wealth total as much as US$100 million once the investigation is complete.

So yeah the trial's about 23 mil but Pinochet was hardly mediocre, even as a dictator. If anything Saddam Hussein was mediocre but Pinochet an enormous international intelligence operation, cinematic assassinations in three continents, a near-complete gut-out and rerouting of Chilean culture and politics not to mention the torture and killings. He himself would have it that he was a dictablanda, not a dictadura but at least you're not the only one here who likes to swallow rightist propaganda hook, line and sinker.
At 9:35 AM, Matt said...: Now $100 million is a bit more like it...you can buy a fair few pairs of dark glasses with that amount. it's still amateur when compared to serious dictator-embezzlers, though.

(and i didn't want to imply that as a bona-fide nasty dictator that pinochet was mediocre. that part he was good at.)
At 8:02 PM, mamacita chilena said...: that's sweet and I'm right :)

The Pinochet's have all been released. Big surprise there. Why were they released? Because they were never held public office. How can this not seem like nothing more than the government trying to distract from other disasters or Bachelet trying to garner a few much needed percentage points in her approval ratings???

If this was a legit intent to prosecute the Pinochet family that means you're telling me that lawyers with years of experience brought them in under charges of Public Money Fraud (or whatever the exact charges were) and DID NOT KNOW that they would've had to held public office to be brought to trial under those charges???

Are you kidding me?!? They knew that this publicity stunt would garner them bonus points and that in the end wouldn't cost them any real casualties since the Pinochets would all get out free and clear.

I actually didn't read the Mercurio or watch the news recently, just had a discussion with a group of politically minded friends...that's my source.
At 8:15 PM, Chileno said...: I've had conversations with many politically minded fascists in Chile. And you don't have to travel to haunted mansions in La Dehesa either. I went to a N. American expat's bbq and a bunch of young, hip, friendly Chilean college students came over. Card-carrying UDI members and Pinochet sympathizers.

So your "politically minded" friends...i need more info about their political orientation and the reason for making their arguments.
At 4:53 PM, tomasdinges said...: no one has proved the $100 million figure, ever. It floated around during the Pinochet Senate Investigation...but no one has nailed it down. It has never materialized.

I heart Stgo. Times, psych..

WHICH AUTHORITIES SUSPECT $100 Million...and based on what new evidence..?

If these authorities had their way, with this high level of dialogue, then we could def put together a witch hunt.

We all have politically-minded friends. what does that mean..are they political minders?
At 5:05 PM, Chileno said...: I really should stop referencing Stgo Times, thanks for pointing that out. I was just trying to swat down Matt cuz compared Africans favorably to Chileans ;-)

But anyway, without the Santiago Times, where would the People get their news?
At 7:29 PM, Ms. said...: Interesting, it always perplexed me why the Pinochet family remained in Chile after Tata's regime. They knew in the back of their heads that eventually time and public opinion would viciously turn on them.