Pinochet to face questioning

Supporters say Pinochet is too ill to be questioned

The judge in charge of the case against General Augusto Pinochet in Chile has said he will question the former military ruler next Wednesday.

Judge Juan Guzman also ordered that the general undergo medical tests on 22 January, to determine if he is fit to stand trial.

The announcement comes after the Supreme Court declared unlawful an order to arrest and indict General Pinochet on kidnap and murder charges was unlawful.

Pinochet: To be questioned about kidnap and murder

The Supreme Court upheld a ruling by a lower court that the Judge Guzman had not followed the correct legal procedure and gave him 20 days to conduct a formal interrogation of the general.

Judge Guzman will be able to lodge further charges after he has questioned General Pinochet and if medical tests show that he is fit to stand trial.

As the dates for medical tests and questioning were announced, it emerged that the general had been taken to the military hospital in Santiago.

Initial reports said the former ruler had been feeling unwell, but a statement from the hospital said he had been admitted for scheduled dental treatment.

Health matters

The court-ordered medical tests that General Pinochet is to undergo in January remain a point of contention for both prosecutors and defence lawyers.

The Santiago appeals court ruled on Tuesday that neurological and psychological tests should be carried out in a military hospital, in the presence of experts chosen by both parties.

Pinochet's opponents want him to be indicted again

Prosecution lawyers oppose the use of a military hospital on the grounds that it is not neutral. They are expected to request that the judge order that the tests be conducted in a civilian institution.

For its part, the defence team says General Pinochet is not healthy enough to go before the judge and that medical tests should take place before any questioning.

Chilean media reported that the general's lawyers will ask for the tests to be brought forward. They argue that the tests will prove he is not fit and the process against him will be suspended.

'Caravan of Death'

The kidnapping and murder charges against General Pinochet relate to the notorious "Caravan of Death" that toured Chile shortly after the 1973 military coup that ended Chile's democratically elected Marxist government led by Salvador Allende.

The "caravan" of military personnel, travelling by helicopter, arranged the executions of suspected left-wing activists throughout the country.

A long series of legal proceedings against General Pinochet began in October 1998, when police arrested him in the UK at the request of a Spanish judge who wanted to try him on charges of torture during his rule.

The general spent 503 days in custody before being allowed to return home, after Britain ruled he was too ill to undergo trial in Spain.