Milosevic facing criminal charges

Slobodan Milosevic: Wanted by UN war crimes tribunal

Serbian prosecutors are ready to lay formal charges of corruption against the former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic.

On Wednesday, the authorities ordered a probe of allegations that Mr Milosevic smuggled more than $1m of gold abroad last year, around the time he was ousted by a popular uprising.

Vuk Draskovic: Claims Mr Milosevic was behind assassination attempt

Interior Minister Dusan Mihajlovic told the BBC that police had also handed over papers relating to allegations of corruption surrounding the former president's acquisition of property.

He declined to say when the case would begin, but he said if Mr Milosevic is convicted on charges of taking state property for himself - including the plush villa he now occupies in Belgrade - he could face anything between three months to five years in prison.

Mr Mihajlovic also said there was so far no evidence to tie Mr Milosevic to political assassinations, abductions and the attempted murder of the leading opposition figure, Vuk Draskovic.

Years of misrule

However, he did say that investigators were working hard to find it.

They had been hoping the former head of the secret service, Rade Markovic, who was arrested last Friday, would provide the evidence but the interior minister said Mr Markovic was so far not co-operating.

The new Yugoslav administration has been keen to try Mr Milosevic for his years of misrule since they overthrew him in October last year.

One anonymous source in the governing coalition of parties told the Beta news agency that the new authorities had set 10 March as the latest date for an arrest.

Yugoslav authorities insist Mr Milosevic must stand trial at home before they consider handing him over to the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague.

Pressure from the Hague

But The Hague tribunal is bringing increasing pressure on Belgrade to hand over indicted war criminals.

Florence Hartmann, the spokeswoman for the tribunal's Chief Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte, told BBC News Online the latest developments did not change Mr Milosevic's position with regards to the Hague tribunal.

"Milosevic is indicted for crimes against humanity. [The investigation in Belgrade] does not affect Yugoslavia's obligation to transfer Mr Milosevic to the Hague for trial."

Carla Del Ponte has been meeting European leaders in attempt to drum up support for her tough stance.

After meeting European Union officials in Stockholm on Wednesday, she called for EU aid to be linked to the level of Yugoslav co-operation with the Hague tribunal.

She said she hoped the Yugoslav Government would show willingness to co-operate by the end of March.