Pinochet son faces court charges

Gen Pinochet's son could face three years in prison if convicted of fraud

The eldest son of former Chilean ruler Augusto Pinochet has appeared in court accused of using fake license plates and owning illegal firearms.

Augusto Pinochet Hiriart, 58, denied 35 counts against him, which are linked to the illegal sale of cars.

Reports say prosecutors in the town of Curico are seeking at least a three-year prison sentence for Mr Pinochet.

The trial comes after his father lost legal immunity against allegations of human rights abuses while in power.

Accompanied by his lawyer, Aldo Duque, Mr Pinochet told the court he was not guilty on all counts.

The charges against him carry possible sentences of between 61 days and five years in prison.

The trial is expected to last several weeks.

Family troubles

Mr Pinochet was arrested in July and charged after spending three nights in jail. This followed a two-year investigation into the buying and selling of cars.

He was told he must not leave Chile or communicate with two other men also facing charges.

He was ordered to sign a court register every 15 days.

The trial began as Mr Pinochet's father faced mounting legal claims relating to his time as military ruler of Chile between 1973 and 1990.

Gen Pinochet could face claims of human rights abuses during his time in power.

He has also been accused of hiding millions of dollars in US bank accounts.