Attempts to try Gen Pinochet for human rights abuses appeared to have failed in 2001, when a court ruled he was too unwell, but in 2004 another series of cases against him began.

In March 2005, reports of millions of dollars hidden in bank accounts triggered new court cases.

But as the allegations swirled, Gen Pinochet grew frailer.

In December 2006, after suffering a heart attack, he died aged 91.