Patricio Rojas says he knew nothing of Frei Montalva autopsy

SANTIAGO.- Former Minister of Interior and Defense Patricio Rojas denied accusations against him today with regards to the death of former President Eduardo Frei Montalva, claiming that he never received information about an autopsy being performed on the former President and stressing that he was not Frei's doctor, but rather "his friend".

Questions have arisen following statements that were made by the Frei family attorney, Álvaro Varela, who indicated that Rojas had not told anyone about an autopsy being performed on the former President and claimed that his action could be seen as an "obstruction of justice".

According to Radio Cooperativa, Rojas said he had mistaken the embalming process Frei's body underwent for an autopsy and assured that he had not been the one to authorize the procedure. Rather, he claimed, pathologists working for Doctor Roberto Barahona made the arrangements at the family's request due to the fact that the former president would have a state funeral and that the body would be exposed for several days.

The former secretary of State indicated that, in order to perform the embalming, the organs of the dead President had to be removed as a standard part of the procedure and said that tests were later performed on the organs at the Universidad Católica.

Rojas also stressed that he had never been Frei's personal doctor and had never treated him for any kind of illness, which meant that he was never involved in the treatment of his hiatal hernia.