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Augusto Pinochet | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 25 November 1915 Valparaíso, Chile |
| Died | 10 December 2006 Santiago, Chile |
| Cause of death | Heart attack |
| Nationality | Chilean |
| Known for | Dictatorship over Chile |
Augusto Pinochet was the fascist military dictator of Chile from 1973 to 1990.
During his time as dictator, Pinochet received millions of dollars in offshore accounts in several banks, including Riggs Bank, Citigroup, Banco de Chile, Espirito Santo Bank, Banco Atlantico, Bank of America, and other financial institutions. These banks accepted millions of dollars with no inquiry over their source, set up offshore corporations, opened accounts in the names of the corporations to omit Pinochet's ownership of them and facilitated money laudering.[1] The accounts exceeded $100 million in total.[2] A 2005 investigation by the United States Senate found nearly a hundred accounts on Statesian banks benefiting Pinochet and his family. Besides Statesian banks, Pinochet had accounts open in Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.[3]
Coup
In 1970, democratic socialist Salvador Allende was elected the president of Chile. On September 11, 1973, the CIA organized a military coup to overthrow Allende and General Augusto Pinochet took power.[4] He and his Junta smashed worker organizations, and declared that they would "hang Jews from every lamp post".
Military rule
After taking power, Pinochet executed at least 3,000 dissidents and arrested or tortured tens of thousands more.[5] He was known for executing people by having them thrown out of helicopters into the ocean.[6] He survived an assassination attempt by the Manuel Rodríguez Patriotic Front in 1986.[7]
A former Nazi working for Pinochet established the torture colony Colonia Dignidad.[8]
References
- ↑ “[Riggs Bank] opened multiple accounts for Mr. Pinochet with the knowledge and support of the Bank’s leadership; accepted millions of dollars in deposits from him with no serious inquiry into the source of his wealth; set up offshore shell corporations and opened accounts in the names of those corporations to disguise Mr. Pinochet’s ownership of the account funds; altered the names of his personal account to disguise his ownership;”
Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (2005). Supplemental staff report on U.S. Accounts used by Augusto Pinochet (p. 2). [PDF] United States Senate. - ↑ “In March 2002, a Riggs delegation, led by bank chairman Joseph Allbritton, returned to Chile for a series of meetings with senior military, government, and financial officials. As part of that trip, the Chilean Air Force hosted Mr. Allbritton on a tour of the Antarctic. A Riggs memorandum prepared for Mr. Allbritton for this trip observed that, when the Chilean accounts were viewed together, “average balances exceed $100 million.””
Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (2005). Supplemental staff report on U.S. Accounts used by Augusto Pinochet (p. 29). [PDF] United States Senate. - ↑ “In addition to the 28 Riggs accounts and CDs, the Subcommittee has now identified nearly 100 U.S. financial accounts and CDs benefitting Mr. Pinochet or his immediate family over the past 25 years, several of which were only recently closed.
[...]
The Subcommittee has also identified 24 U.S. accounts and CDs at Banco de Chile–United States benefiting Mr. Pinochet and his family from 1995 to 2004.
[...]
This Report focuses on the 28 Pinochet-related accounts and CDs at Riggs and the nearly 100 accounts and CDs at other financial institutions in the United States. It is important to note, however, that many of the financial institutions examined by the Subcommittee also maintained one or more accounts for Mr. Pinochet and his family in countries other than the United States. These accounts were located in Argentina, the Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Chile, Gibraltar, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.”
Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (2005). Supplemental staff report on U.S. Accounts used by Augusto Pinochet (p. 6). [PDF] United States Senate. - ↑ "Remembering the 1973 Chile coup: A useful lesson about the “peaceful transition” to Socialism" (2016-09-11). In Defense of Communism. Retrieved 2022-01-15.
- ↑ Ion Mihai Pacepa (2006-12-11). "Pinochet Is History" National Review. Archived from the original on 2020-09-30. Retrieved 2022-01-15.
- ↑ Jonathan Franklin (2001-01-08). "Chilean army admits 120 thrown into sea" The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2022-01-13. Retrieved 2022-01-15.
- ↑ T. Palma, et al. (2016-09-03). "El atentado a Pinochet en tres tiempos" La Tercera. Archived from the original on 2021-10-29. Retrieved 2022-01-15.
- ↑ Ben Norton (2018-12-18). "NY Times Columnist Ross Douthat Defended Murderous Dictator Pinochet in His Harvard Days" The Grayzone. Archived from the original on 2022-05-20. Retrieved 2022-10-23.