How The Drama unfolded
16 October: General Augusto Pinochet arrested in London at a hospital.
22 October: Lawyers for the general mount a legal challenge to his arrest.
24 October: Chilean government formally asks Britain to free him.
28 October: The High Court - with the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Bingham, sitting - rules that General Pinochet has immunity from prosecution.
3 November: Spanish judge Baltasar Garzon formally asks for General Pinochet's extradition on charges of human-rights abuse.
9 November: The International Commission of Jurists says that General Pinochet does have immunity from prosecution.
12 November: The Home Secretary, Jack Straw, has by now received extradition requests from France, Belgium and Switzerland as well as Spain.
25 November: The law lords rule 3-2 that General Pinochet does not have immunity from prosecution, with Lord Hoffmann casting the decisive final vote.
9 December: The Home Secretary gives authority to proceed for the Spanish extradition request.
10 December: General Pinochet's lawyers ask the law lords to set aside the earlier judgment because of Lord Hoffmann's links with Amnesty International.
11 December: General Pinochet appears at Belmarsh magistrates' court, south London, and says he does not recognise the jurisdiction of any court other than Chile's.
17 December: The law lords overturn previous House of Lords ruling. New hearing set for January.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies