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Chile Sues Four Banks Over Pinochet Ties

By Matt Squire

The Chilean government has filed lawsuits against four banks it says either negligently or deliberately helped former dictator Augusto Pinochet hide $26 million in stolen funds. The civil suits filed Wednesday in a Miami federal court, seek unspecified damages that could total in the tens of million from PNC Financial Services Group Inc., Banco Santander, Espirito Santo Bank and Banco de Chile. The lawsuits follow a March 2005 U.S. Senate investigation that found that the late Pinochet had held funds in Spain's Banco Santander, Espirito Santo Bank of Portugal, Banco de Chile and Washington D.C.-based Riggs Bank. PNC acquired Riggs...

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