The wife of former Chilean leader Augusto Pinochet Ugarte was questioned by the judge Tuesday as part of an investigation into the offshore accounts owned by the couple, local media reported.

Lucia Hiriart, wife of Pinochet, was questioned for three hours by Judge Sergio Munoz of the Santiago Appeals Court on the multi-million dollar accounts owned by the couple at the Washington-based Riggs Bank.

The interrogation would try to determine whether Hiriart was aware of where the money in the accounts came from.

Pinochet's family members and advisers have said the money may come from supporters' donations, but some analysts said the money was not in accordance with his tax declarations.

Pinochet's eldest son will appear before the judge on Wednesday for interrogation, and his two other children will follow suit.

Pinochet, 88, who took control of Chile by ousting constitutional President Salvador Allende in 1973, faces hundreds of charges of homicide, kidnapping and torture in Chile but none of corruption.

There have been several failed attempts to probe his finances by journalists or lawmakers since the 1980s.

The trial of Pinochet was suspended in 2001 when he was diagnosed as mentally incompetent.

Source: Xinhua