Philippine court issues arrest warrant for Imelda Marcos

The Philippines' main anti-corruption court has issued an arrest warrant for former first lady Imelda Marcos.

The Sandiganbayan court said the warrant for the flamboyant 72-year-old widow of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos is expected to be served on Tuesday.

She would have to go to the court for fingerprinting, then could be released on 120,000-peso bail (£2,000).

The four charges stem from alleged ill-gotten gains during her time as minister of human settlements in the 1970s, according to court documents.

The charges are part of a much wider case against Mrs. Marcos on allegations of plundering the economy in 1968-86 while her husband ran the country.

Mrs Marcos is known worldwide for the collection of 1,200 pairs of shoes that were discovered after she and her husband fled their palace after being ousted by a popular revolt in 1986.

Mrs Marcos has been facing the charges for several years.

She was not immediately available for comment but has denied all corruption allegations against her in the past.

Prosecutors are seeking to recover billions of dollars that they describe as ill-gotten Marcos gains, but the Marcos family has denied any wrongdoing.

Mrs Marcos, who returned to the Philippines in 1991, ran unsuccessfully for president in 1992.