Belgrade police have detained an ally of former Yugoslav strong-man Slobodan Milosevic on suspicion of embezzlement, the Beta news agency reported Wednesday.
The man, former federal customs chief Mihalj Kertes, is the first Milosevic ally to be detained in a new anti-corruption drive.
He was arrested on Tuesday by members of new police units charged with fighting organised crime and corruption, a top Serbian official told the agency.
Bozo Prelevic, one of Serbia's three interior ministers, said a decision would be made on whether to release Kertes once he had been questioned.
Kertes, considered a key figure for financial deals under the Milosevic regime, was dismissed following the popular uprising that effectively ousted the former regime in October.
In an interview published last week by the Nedeljni Telegraf weekly, Kertes said that Yugoslavia's customs service had been involved in the embezzlement of funds, diverting money to Milosevic's Socialists, state companies and health centers.
Kertes also told the weekly that he had given money to a Socialist official to finance an electoral campaign, and even to former Foreign Minister Zivadin Jovanovic -- BELGRADE (AFP)
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