BELGRADE, Yugoslavia — With Slobodan Milosevic behind bars, Yugoslav investigators will try to gather evidence portraying him as a man who abused his office to amass a fortune and ruin the nation.
If they succeed, it might speed the day Milosevic answers for war crimes, despite denials by President Vojislav Kostunica and the entire national leadership that extraditing the deposed leader to U.N. tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands, is in the cards.
Milosevic surrendered before dawn Sunday to face charges of corruption and abuse of power during his 13-year rule. If convicted, he could face at least five years in prison.
To persuade Milosevic to give up peacefully, Yugoslav authorities gave him assurances that his arrest was not linked to The Hague indictments.
The United States and its allies have insisted that Belgrade turn over Milosevic to The Hague, which indicted him for alleged atrocities committed by his forces during the crackdown against ethnic Albanians in Kosovo. That crackdown led to the 1999 NATO bombardment of Yugoslavia.
U.N. prosecutors say they are considering additional charges in connection with the wars in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia. If Milosevic were convicted in The Hague, the 59-year-old former ruler could spend the rest of his life in prison.
"We are expecting him soon" for trial before the end of the year, tribunal spokeswoman Florence Hartmann said Sunday.
However, most Yugoslavs — as well as people in other Balkan nations — have never fully accepted the war crimes tribunal as a legitimate court. Instead, they consider it a political instrument established by the United States and its allies as a weapon against Serbs during the Balkan wars of the past decade.
Some Serbian officials maintain that it would be politically risky to extradite Milosevic until Serbs change their mind about the tribunal and until they see for themselves the extent of Milosevic's crimes as uncovered by the Yugoslav authorities themselves.
The first batch of charges appears designed to do just that. They followed months of investigations that began after Milosevic stepped down in October after a controversial election and a popular uprising.
Some of the allegations are believed to be based on statements by former Milosevic aides, some of whom have already been arrested or fear prosecution unless they cooperate with the new leadership.
The charges 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 formal charges state that Milosevic "overstepped his official authority" and issued illegal orders "which led to the collapse of the state money traffic system and monetary instability," wiping out the life savings of millions of Yugoslavs.
To try to avoid claims by Milosevic supporters that the former president is being abused by "NATO lackeys," Serbian authorities have insisted that he is being treated like any other prisoner — with no special favors or restrictions.
Milosevic was questioned Sunday by an investigating judge, who must decide whether the evidence warrants a trial. The judge ordered Milosevic held for 30 days — a routine procedure.
After the 30 days, the judge can extend his order if he thinks more evidence is being uncovered. After that, judges ordinarily order a trial or dismiss the charges, although in some cases pre-trial detention can drag on for years.