COURT TURNS DOWN MILOSEVIC'S APPEAL FOR RELEASE

BELGRADE, April 3 (Hina) - The Belgrade County Court on Tuesday turned down an appeal by former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic to have a court ruling on his month-long detention be withdrawn and he released. Milosevic's attorney Toma Fila was not familiar with the court's explanation, adding he had not read it. On Tuesday, a former head of the Yugoslav customs service, Mihalj Kertes, testified before the court for six hours in what is believed to be the beginning of court proceedings against the former Yugoslav president. The court ruled one-month detention for Milosevic on April 1 on suspicion that he abused his office, together with Kertes and former Yugoslav vice-premiers Jovan Zebic and Nikola Sainovic. Zebic and Sainovic appeared in court today too, although they were not questioned. They only confirmed that, as federal parliamentary deputies, they would not invoke immunity. Kertes was questioned for almost six hours but his attorney Predrag Milovanovic did not want to give any statement to reporters. The former head of the customs service is suspected of abusing his office and embezzling customs funds which belonged to the state budget. Zebic and Sainovic will be questioned after a parliamentary credentials and privileges commission voices its stand on the matter. Milosevic and his three associates are charged with causing 1.8 billion dinar (600 million DEM) and 200 million DEM worth of damage to the state budget. (hina) rml