Ex-Milosevic aide in conspiracy case

A key aide to former Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic has been arrested for allegedly siphoning millions of dollars of state money, police said.

Former customs chief Mihalj Kertes, a key player during the late president’s decade-long rule in the 1990s, was detained on a request from Serbia’s prosecutor for organized crime, police said.

Kertes was charged with abuse of position and criminal conspiracy for allegedly transferring millions of dollars of state money to accounts in Cyprus and elsewhere, allegedly on Milosevic’s orders. The money is believed to have ended up in private accounts held by members of the Milosevic family and his closest associates, according to the indictment.