A Chilean judge charged the wife and youngest son of former dictator Augusto Pinochet as accomplices in a tax fraud case and had them detained today, a source on Pinochet's legal defence team told reporters.
Pinochet's wife, Lucia Hiriart, was being held in a military hospital. His son Marco Antonio Pinochet, was being held at a police headquarters, said the source, who asked not to be named.
Judge Sergio Munoz has been investigating Pinochet's finances since last year and in a recent court filing said the family hid up to $17 million in more than 100 foreign bank accounts, often under false names.
Pinochet (89) ruled Chile from 1973 to 1990, a period when more than 3,000 people died in political violence.
Pinochet's defence has said all the money in the accounts was legitimately earned, but has offered to pay back taxes on some of the money.
A Chilean appeals court voted in June to strip Pinochet of immunity from prosecution so he could face tax fraud and other charges in the investigation. The defense has appealed that ruling to the Supreme Court.