It worked on Al Capone

Chilean judicial officials are taking a page out of past American history to try and finally bring former dictator Augusto Pinochet to justice. Pinochet has been charged with tax evasion and corruption, a far cry from what many suspect he has done over the years, but it may be the last shot at the former dictator that Chileans may get.

Pinochet who was President of Chile from 1973 to 1990 was leader over a country with one of the worst human rights records in history. During the seventeen years of Pinochet, 3,000 people died and 30,000 more were tortured in political violence, the bulk of which took place in the early years of the Pinochet regime. There was also a list of 119 dissidents who it is alleged were killed or disappeared during his regime, a case file that has never been properly investigated (for obvious reasons) by Chilean authorities over the years. It's only these last few years where prosecutors have felt confident enough to try and tackle the General and his record.

Pinochet stepped down from power in 1990 when he surprisingly allowed a plebiscite on his governance and was voted out of office. But in a strange arrangement remained on as the nations Commander in Chief of the military, which allowed him to quash any investigations to abuse of power. He finally stepped away from the Commanders job in, only to take up self appointed position in the Chilean Senate as a Senator for Life.

Eventually the slow climb to democracy would begin anew in Chile and Pinochet found himself up on a number of charges over the next five years, as Chilean prosecutors attempted to bring him to trial from 2000-2005. However, poor health and questions of his mental stability circumvented the path to justice time and time again.

With Pinochet turning 90 on Friday, one suspects that the odds are quite slim of him spending a day in jail over any of the horrendous things he's been accused of over the years. The tax evasion charges are most likely a last gasp for the prosecution, to seek out some sense of justice for the families of those who suffered and indeed for the people of Chile.

Pinochet may even dodge these most recent charges, but his time is quickly running short for our planet. His next appearance may be in front of a much more judgmental tribunal one who may be able to recite many names. Pinochet had better have enjoyed his mortal years, one gets the feeling that his next locale won't be much to his liking.