Villa Grimaldi, a sprawling house in southeast Santiago, has been turned into a memorial park to honor the victims.

A court official speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, told the Associated Press that an announcement will not be made until Monday or Tuesday but a vote took place and the immunity was lifted.

The decision, which cannot be appealed, paves the way for the judge handling the case, Alejandro Madrid, to indict Pinochet in the Villa Grimaldi case. Villa Grimaldi was used by Pinochet's secret police for torture and even executions, according to court documents.

Pinochet already is under indictment for human rights violations and tax evasion. Previous attempts to try him have failed after the courts dropped the cases based on Pinochet's poor health. He has been diagnosed with mild dementia, diabetes and arthritis, and he has a pacemaker. The latest tests by court-appointed doctors show Pinochet is fit to stand trial.

Current president Michelle Bachelet, then a 22-year-old medical student, and her mother Angela Jeria were arrested months after the 1973 coup led by Pinochet and taken to Villa Grimaldi. Both have acknowledged they were tortured, though they are not among those named in the case.

Bachelet's mother once told a Santiago newspaper that Villa Grimaldi was "one of the worst houses of torture," where "I was kept for a week in a box, blindfolded, tied up, without food."

Alfonso and Cancio were fired and Connor's freelance relationship with the paper was ended.

Alfonso and Cancio declined to comment to the Herald. The three did not respond to e-mails seeking comment sent by the AP.

Jesus Diaz Jr., president of the Miami Herald Media Co. and publisher of both newspapers, said the individuals violated a "sacred trust" between journalists and the public.

"I personally don't believe that integrity and objectivity can be assured if any of our reporters receive monetary compensation from any entity that he or she may cover or have covered, but particularly if it's a government agency," he told the Herald.

Al Tompkins, a professor at the Poynter Institute for journalism, agreed that journalists are obligated to inform their employers before they accept outside work and must avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest.

But he added that newspapers are responsible for ensuring that everyone in the newsroom understands their ethical standards.

The AP's e-mail and phone messages for Diaz were referred to Robert Beatty, Miami Herald Media's general counsel and vice president of public affairs.

Beatty said the papers' employees have consistently demonstrated a high level of integrity, and that it is their responsibility to disclose any real or perceived conflicts of interest.

"We have faith that our employees understand that practice and the principles that underlie that practice," he said. "And when they don't, we take action."

He told the AP that the payments were identified in documents requested under the Freedom of Information Act.

Other journalists who received payments included Diario Las Americas opinion page editor Helen Aguirre Ferre and reporter and columnist Ariel Remos. Ferre told The Miami Herald she didn't see a conflict of interest, and Remos said he enjoyed the freedom to speak his opinion on the stations.

Aguirre is the daughter of the paper's editor Horacio Aguirre, who did not immediately return a message left Friday by the AP.

Also listed as receiving more than $11,400 this year was WJAN-TV reporter Manuel Cao, who got into a videotaped confrontation with Cuban President Fidel Castro in July during the Mercosur Summit in Argentina.

During the fiery exchange, Cao questioned why Castro won't allow a prominent doctor and dissident to leave Cuba.

"Who pays you?" demanded Castro.

"No one pays me to ask questions, that is my job," Cao yelled back.

Cao's news director also received payment but did not immediately return a message.

The Miami journalists are not alone in receiving payments for their time, said Larry Hart, spokesman for the Broadcasting Board of Governors, the independent U.S. agency that overseas Radio and TV Marti, Voice of America and Radio Free Europe, among other groups.

Hart said most guests receive payment, adding, "for decades, some of the most prominent journalists in America have been paid to be on Voice of America." He acknowledged that in recent years the practice has become far less common.

The Cuban government has long accused the United States of paying South Florida journalists to promote anti-government propaganda.