[JURIST] A new arrest warrant could be issued for the wife of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic [JURIST news archive] if she fails to appear for the start of her corruption trial in Belgrade, a court spokesperson said Wednesday. Mirjana Markovic [Wikipedia profile] fled to Russia in 2003 in the face of an international warrant for her arrest. The warrant was revoked in June [JURIST report] on the condition that Markovic appear for her trial. Markovic's defense lawyer would not say whether she was planning to return from Russia. Markovic has often been called a driving force behind her husband's autocratic rule throughout the 1990s, and she has been charged with illegally giving away government-owned luxury apartments. Investigators have also sought to question her in connection with the 2000 killing of former Serbian President Ivan Stambolic. AP has more.

1:15 PM ET – Serbian Judge Sinisa Sofrenovic ordered Markovic's arrest Thursday after she failed to appear in court. Markovic's lawyer said during the hearing that "the judge's decision was against the law." AP has more.