CHILE:Augusto Pinochet, the former dictator of Chile, was in a stable but serious condition last night following surgery for a heart attack. Gen Pinochet (91) had bypass surgery and was given the last rites as doctors considered further surgery.
"He is stable but, of course, serious," said Juan Ignacio Vergara at the official military hospital. While members of his family went to the hospital, several dozen supporters gathered outside, waving Chilean flags, singing and holding placards reading "Immortal" that pictured a young Pinochet in his army uniform.
Gen Pinochet was under house arrest at his home in an upmarket Santiago neighbourhood early yesterday when a family member called an ambulance. Special judicial permission was granted to permit him to be taken to the hospital.
He faces multiple investigations for tax evasion, fraud and his role in the death and disappearance of some 3,000 Chileans murdered during his 1973-1990 rule. While his role in organising hit squads and a policy of "disappearing" enemies of the state has long been known, allegations over the past two years of financial crimes and embezzlement have further tarnished his image, particularly with right-wing supporters who long considered Gen Pinochet a ruthless but spartan leader.
Current investigations by the courts estimate that he stashed at least $27 million (€20.25 million) in hundreds of bank accounts around the world. The most recent charges against him stem from his responsibility for a secret military mission known as the "caravan of death" in which a helicopter hit squad travelled through Chile in 1974 executing political prisoners. "I hope he does not die until he is convicted," said German Hertz, a Chilean filmmaker whose father was murdered by security forces in 1974. "At this point it doesn't matter which case they prosecute. It could be any of hundreds of robberies or murders, but it is important for the health of Chile."
Over the past week, Gen Pinochet has given several signals that he expects to die soon. At his 91st birthday party last week, he issued a letter that read in part: "Today in my final days, I want to state that I hold no grudge against anyone, that I love my country above all else and that I assume all political responsibility for all that was done." That letter was widely interpreted as a goodbye message to the country.