Swiss banks check possible Yugoslav accounts

Swiss banks have informed the authorities of a number of accounts that may hold assets of senior members of Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic’s ruling estabilishment, the Swiss authorities said Monday.

Swiss banks have informed the authorities of a number of accounts that may hold assets of senior members of Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic’s ruling estabilishment, the Swiss authorities said Monday.

A spokesman in the economics ministry said the banks reported an unspecified number of suspect accounts, which had now been frozen. The identities of the account holders were currently being established, the spokesman added.

Ten days ago, the Swiss authorities extended the freeze of possible accounts and assets of Milosevic to include about 300 private persons and companies which were also blacklisted by the European Union.

The freeze means that Swiss banks are under orders not to accept or manage any funds for the persons and companies on the list.

The economics ministry said Monday it remained unclear whether Milosevic himself, or four other top government members, still had assets in Swiss banks.

The Swiss authorities froze possible accounts and assets of these men in June, at the request of the international war crimes tribunal for Yugoslavia.

The tribunal wants to try them on charges of crimes against humanity, murder and deportations in connection with Belgrade’s crackdown against ethnic Albanians in Kosovo.

The tribunal has asked Switzerland for legal assistance and the Swiss authorities have issued arrest warrants against the five Yugoslav leaders. Apart from Milosevic, they include Yugoslav Deputy Prime Minister Nikola Sainovic, Yugoslav armed forces chief of staff Dragoljub Ojdanic and Serbian Interior Minister Vlajko Stojiljkovic.


From staff and wire reports.