Yugoslav ex-press chief held

BELGRADE, Yugoslavia -- The former pro-Slobodan Milosevic head of the state-run news agency Tanjug has been arrested after ignoring a string of court summons, reports say.

Zoran Jevdjevic, 42, was detained on Wednesday after failing to respond to 11 court summons to give a statement in a suit filed against him by a Tanjug employee, the agency said on Thursday.

He his also being investigated by financial authorities on suspicion of embezzling about $1.1 million in company money, Tanjug added.

During his tenure as Tanjug's chief executive, editorial policy strictly supported the former Yugoslav President Milosevic.

Jevdjevic is alleged to have suspended or fired a number of reporters who held different views.

One of them, Branko Suman, filed a suit in 1998, alleging that Jevdjevic abused his authority in a series of illegal decisions that damaged the company and its employees.

The case was re-awakened after Milosevic was toppled from power in a popular revolt in October last year.

Jevdjevic will be held until a June 8 hearing.