Most Wanted South America - Wednesday, July 2, 2008 5:42 - 0 Comments

CHILE’S CONTRERAS GETS LIFE SENTENCE IN PRATS CAR-BOMB CASE

Juan Manuel Guillermo Contreras, the former head of Chile’s dictatorship-era National Intelligence Directive (DINA), received two consecutive life sentences Monday for masterminding the 1974 assassinations of former Chilean Army General Carlos Prats and Prats’ wife, Sofía Cuthbert.

Former brigadier general and DINA officer Pedro Espinoza Bravo was given 40 years for his part in the planning of the political assassinations. Espinoza has been charged several times for his roles in “Operation Condor” and the “Caravan of Death,” in which former dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochet’s political opponents were kidnapped and murdered.

In addition to sentencing Contreras and Espinoza, Judge Alejandro Solís announced that José Zara, Juan Morales Salgado and Christoph Willeke will each spend 20 years and two days behind bars for their involvement in the Prats case. Raúl Iturriaga and Mariana Callejas received sentences of 30 years and 10 years and one day, respectively. Judge Solís also handed down two 541 day sentences to DINA sub-official Reginaldo Valdés. Continue…