Chile generals convicted over 1991 Croatia arms deal

Chile's Supreme Court has convicted two retired generals of selling weapons to Croatia 20 years ago, in breach of a UN arms embargo.

The former generals Hector Letelier and Vicente Rodriguez were sentenced to three years house arrest.

The shipment of weapons and ammunition - disguised as humanitarian aid - was intercepted in Hungary in 1991 during the war in the former Yugoslavia.

Former ruler Gen Augusto Pinochet was also implicated in the deal.

Pinochet was facing charges over the case when he died in 2006.

The Chilean Supreme Court convicted seven other people in connection to the case on Friday.

The case was also linked to the death of Chilean Col Gerardo Huber, who was shot dead in 1992 after giving evidence to a military tribunal investigating the arms smuggling.

His death was initially treated as suicide, but in 2011 four retired army officers were jailed for his murder.

A UN ban on sending arms to Croatia was in place during the break up of the former Yugoslavia in the early 1990s.

Last year the former Argentine President Carlos Menem was cleared of involvement in illegal arms sales to Croatia.