[JURIST] A Chilean appeals court has dropped tax evasion charges against the widow and two children of former Chilean dictator General Augusto Pinochet [JURIST news archive]. In a decision Wednesday, the Santiago Court of Appeals [Chilean judiciary website, in Spanish] upheld charges against Pinochet's youngest son and two of his lawyers and also dropped other charges against Pinochet's relatives for acting as accomplices in the use of false passports.

Pinochet, his wife, four of his children, daughter-in-law, former attorney and secretary were indicted [PDF text] in early 2006 on charges of filing false tax returns [JURIST report]. Pinochet died [JURIST report] last month without ever facing trial in either the tax evasion case or on multiple human rights charges. AP has more.