Chile's Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the acquittal of former dictator Augusto Pinochet on charges that he ordered political abductions and murders as part of a conspiracy among South American dicatorships.

The high court upheld a decision by the Santiago Appeals Court in favour of the ailing ex-dictator, 89, who ruled with an iron fist from 1973-1990. But it is only one of dozens of investigations he faces.