Chile's Supreme Court stripped former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet of his immunity from prosecution on Wednesday so he can face charges of tax fraud involving an estimated $27 million in offshore accounts, a court source told Reuters.
The decision supports an earlier lower court ruling that was appealed by Pinochet's defence, opening the way for the retired general to be indicted for tax evasion.
Pinochet, who is 89 and ruled Chile from 1973 to 1990 after a military coup, has been stripped of his presidential immunity from prosecution in a handful of human rights cases but has not had to face the charges because his lawyers have successfully argued he is too ill for a criminal trial.
The defence team is expected to use the same tactic after Wednesday's ruling.
During the Pinochet regime more than 3,000 people died in political violence and tens of thousands of people were tortured or exiled.
Prosecutors say Pinochet and his family hid away millions of dollars in more than 100 bank accounts outside of Chile. At least some of the money came from kickbacks from European weapons manufacturers, prosecutors have said.