BELGRADE, Yugoslavia — A haggard Slobodan Milosevic proclaimed his innocence of corruption charges linked to his dictatorial 13-year rule as authorities questioned the former president Sunday and ordered him jailed for 30 days.
Though the Yugoslav government says it intends to try him at home for ruining the nation, the U.N. war crimes tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands, stepped up pressure for Milosevic to be handed over to face prosecution over alleged atrocities in Kosovo.
"We are expecting him soon. It will be Milosevic in The Hague in 2001," tribunal spokeswoman Florence Hartmann said Sunday. Another spokesman, Jim Landale, said Yugoslavia had a "binding obligation" to turn him over.
Milosevic's lawyer said the 59-year-old ousted leader, now in Belgrade's Central Prison, was exhausted and had been sedated after a 26-hour armed standoff in his besieged villa and a stormy night of negotiations that ended with his surrender to police before dawn Sunday.
Barricaded in his sprawling luxury villa in Belgrade, Milosevic had reportedly at one point brandished a pistol and threatened to kill himself and members of his family. He agreed to surrender after being assured he would not be immediately turned over to The Hague.
His lawyer, Toma Fila, said Milosevic told an interrogating judge Sunday that he was not guilty of "a single count of the charge sheet." The judge ordered Milosevic held for 30 days as prosecutors gather evidence — an order Fila said his client was appealing.
"He decided to defend himself. He will speak up and tell the truth," Fila said.
Prosecutors allege that as president of Serbia and later Yugoslavia, Milosevic conspired with four top aides to steal about $390 million in Yugoslav dinars and German marks from the country's treasury.
The charges carry a maximum of five years in prison on conviction. More serious charges could be raised over the months ahead, possibly
including involvement in a series of political assassinations. The questioning was to resume on Tuesday.
Hours earlier, Milosevic was bundled into a police car and sped out of his villa to prison after he finally agreed to surrender and avoid a possibly bloody showdown. His bodyguards, with bursts of automatic weapons fire, had repulsed an attempt by police before dawn Saturday to storm the villa and seize Milosevic.
Hundreds of Milosevic supporters gathered outside the gates, and the former president at one point pledged to die rather than be retaken. But police regrouped, pushed away protesters, and, before dawn Sunday, scores of special forces were at the gates apparently ready to try another assault. At that point, Milosevic relented.
The Beta news agency, quoting unidentified police sources, said a search of the villa turned up two armored personnel carriers, 30 automatic weapons, three machine guns, an anti-tank grenade launcher, 23 pistols, 30 rifle grenades, two cases of hand grenades and several cases of ammunition.
Justice officials said Milosevic — who as president enjoyed unrivaled deference and luxury — would be treated no better than any other prisoner.
Milosevic's arrest followed a Saturday deadline on U.S. threats to suspend $50 million in economic aid if President Vojislav Kostunica's government did not show willingness to cooperate with the war crimes tribunal. But government officials said the detention was not linked to the deadline.
Kostunica has refused to extradite Milosevic to The Hague, insisting he should be tried at home for corruption and other alleged crimes. However, Yugoslav authorities clearly hope the arrest will lead to certification that they have met conditions for the aid.
With sentiment at home overwhelmingly anti-Milosevic, some in the leadership might be hoping that opposition to extradition will erode if he is found guilty of criminal wrongdoing at home.