SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) - A judge yesterday granted bail to former military strongman Augusto Pinochet in the case of nine dissidents who disappeared during his dictatorship, but the general remains under house arrest as another court reviews the decision.

Judge Victor Montiglio set bail at 10 million pesos (US$19,200; euro18,800), but said the Santiago Court of Appeals must uphold his decision before Pinochet can end his six-week-long house arrest.

Pinochet, 90, has remained under arrest at his guarded suburban Santiago mansion since Nov 24 on charges stemming from Operation Colombo, in which 119 people were killed - their bodies never found - in 1975, two years after Pinochet seized power in a bloody coup. The Pinochet regime at the time claimed the victims had died in clashes among rival armed opposition groups.

Montiglio first indicted Pinochet for three of the disappearances and then added the other six. The cases are handled separately because they stem from suits filed separately by relatives of the victims.

Before Montiglio can proceed with a trial of Pinochet, however, the Supreme Court must rule on an appeal filed by the former dictator's lawyer, Pablo Rodriguez, denying the charges and insisting Pinochet's deteriorated health makes him unfit to stand trial.The top court has already blocked efforts to try Pinochet four times, saying his health does not allow him to stand trial.

Montiglio's decision was rare good news recently for Pinochet in his long fight in court marked by a series of setbacks.

Pinochet, who ruled until 1990, also faces tax evasion charges related to secret overseas bank accounts, estimated by a judicial investigation to hold $28 million (euro23 million). He's also under indictment for allegedly diverting US$2 million (euro1,6 million) in public funds to his private accounts while in power.

Trousers in Denim

Cream of the 'Crop'

Cheeky's World