Yugoslav authorities raised the possibility yesterday that former President Slobodan Milosevic could be charged with offenses that carry the death penalty, such asordering the murders of political rivals during his 13 years in power.

Serbia's interior minister joked that Milosevic may even volunteer to go to the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague, which is not empowered to order executions.

Milosevic, however, remained defiant, denouncing his arrest Sunday as "politically staged." In a written statement Monday, he admitted for the first time that he financed Serb rebellions that bloodied Bosnia and Croatia in the 1990s.

Milosevic has been jailed at Belgrade's central prison for at least 30 days as authorities try to build a case of alleged corruption and abuse of power against him. 1 Ie was also charged with inciting his bodyguards to shoot at police sent to arrest him last weekend.

In Vienna, Serbia's interior minister, Dusan Mihajlovic, said Monday that the investigation against Milosevic is being widened to include much more serious charges.

"There are, meanwhile, indications that Slobodan Milosevic was involved in severe criminal acts for which the death penalty is provided." Mihajlovic told reporters. I ledid not elaborate.

Serbia's Prime minister, Zoran Djindjic, told The Boston Globe in an interview that Milosevic will be charged within two months with ordering the murders of personal and political enemies. Djindjic also said that he expected that Milosevic's wife, Mirjana, a key political figure during his tenure in office, also will be accused of murder.

An investigative judge summoned three former Milosevic aides yesterday for questioning. Two of them Nikola Sainovic and Jovan Zebic refused to testify, citingimmunity as membersof parliament, sources said on condition of anonymity.

A third, former customs chief Mihalj Kertes, was charged in December with embezzlement and abuse of authority. Kertes was believed responsible for arming rebel Serbs during the wars in Croatia and Bosnia.

In his statement Monday, Milosevic defended himself against allegations of corruption by admitting that missing funds went to purchase weapons, ammunition and other needs" for (he Bosnian Serb and Croatian Serb armies.