An Argentine court sentenced Enrique Arancibia Clavel, a Chilean living in Buenos Aires, to life imprisonment yesterday for the killing of an exiled Chilean general in September, 1974.
Gen Carlos Prats, former commander-in-chief of Chile's armed forces and his wife, Ms Sofia Cuthbert, fled into exile after Gen Augusto Pinochet overthrew president Salvador Allende in a bloody coup in 1973.
The couple died instantly when a bomb exploded underneath their car. About 3,000 people were killed or disappeared during the Pinochet dictatorship, which lasted until 1990.
The ruling was the first sentence handed down by an Argentine court for a crime committed by the Chilean dictatorship on its territory.
"Justice has finally been done, although the people who gave the orders, like Gen Pinochet, have yet to be convicted," said Ms Maria Prats, daughter of the murdered general, who fought for 26 years for the truth about her father's death.
Argentina filed an extradition request last October, asking Chile's Supreme Court to allow investigators to question Gen Pinochet on charges related to the death of Gen Prats, but the request was denied.
Clavel belonged to Chile's secret police (DINA) and participated in "Operation Condor", a network of state terror sponsored by dictators in Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Argentina and Uruguay. The Condor network allowed dictatorships to swap suspects and facilitate killings among participating nations.
Clavel has lived in Buenos Aires since 1971 and owned a building maintenance firm at the time of his detention in 1996.
"I'm content. After 26 years without knowing the truth, justice was done," said Ms Cecilia Prats, one of the general's three daughters, speaking to reporters after the sentence was handed down.
Clavel maintained his innocence throughout the trial and has opted to appeal the sentence. "I was used as a scapegoat," he said, in a brief speech.
Clavel has already spent four years behind bars but faces at least 20 more before becoming eligible for release.