London - A senior Law Lord was under pressure to resign last night after unprecedented criticism from his peers of his role in the Pinochet case. Lord Hoffmann failed to disclose links with Amnesty International, which campaigned for the trial of Gen Augusto Pinochet before the Law Lord cast the vote which meant the former Chilean dictator could be prosecuted.
One of Lord Hoffmann's colleagues, Lord Hutton, went so far as to say that "public confidence in the integrity of the administration of justice would be shaken" if his decision that the general was not immune from the legal process were allowed to stand, given his close links with Amnesty.