Silvio Berlusconi

Italy court rejects Berlusconi bid to block trial

Agence France-Presse — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:01:34 +0000

Agence France-Presse

Italy's constitutional court on Wednesday rejected a claim by former premier Silvio Berlusconi which the billionaire had hoped would block a trial against him which could see him booted out of politics.

Berlusconi had argued that a Milan tribunal had acted unjustly by refusing to reschedule a fraud trial hearing in March 2010, despite his claim that he was busy with governmental business.

Italy must stand up to Germany, Berlusconi says

Thomson Reuters — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 11:21:25 +0000

Thomson Reuters

ROME (Reuters) - Silvio Berlusconi urged Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta on Friday to seek a "test of strength" with Germany, saying budget austerity imposed by Berlin was killing Italian companies and putting the euro zone at risk.

Italy's economy is mired in a recession that has been dragging on since mid-2011, driving up unemployment and forcing the closure of thousands of companies.

Germany, Europe's biggest economy, has resisted calls to loosen budgetary constraints on southern European countries.

Sentences sought for Berlusconi friends for pimping

Agence France-Presse — Fri, 31 May 2013 17:00:43 +0000

Agence France-Presse

Italian prosecutors in Milan on Friday requested seven-year prison sentences for three associates of Silvio Berlusconi accused of pimping for the then prime minister and billionaire tycoon.

The trial of failed showbusiness agent Lele Mora, showgirl-turned-politician Nicole Minetti and sacked television network host Emilio Fede is linked to Berlusconi's own trial which is ongoing.

Berlusconi is accused of having sex with an underage 17-year-old prostitute at one the allegedly raunchy parties he threw at his villa near Milan with the help of Fede, Minetti and Mora.

Suicide man asks Berlusconi to protect his family

Agence France-Presse — Tue, 28 May 2013 17:46:32 +0000

Agence France-Presse

An Italian engineer who hanged himself asked billionaire tycoon Silvio Berlusconi in a suicide note to look after his family after his death, Italian news agency ANSA reported on Tuesday.

The 44-year-old, whose wife is pregnant and who has a five-year-old daughter, apologised in the note for having been a bad engineer.

The man said he was a person who "thought well" of Berlusconi, a scandal-tainted former prime minister who leads Italy's centre-right.

Berlusconi's alleged call-girl says lied to investigators

Agence France-Presse — Fri, 24 May 2013 22:01:06 +0000

Agence France-Presse

The alleged call-girl at the centre of a trial against Silvio Berlusconi told a courtroom on Friday that she had previously lied to investigators about raunchy parties hosted by the billionaire tycoon.

"I am sorry I talked rubbish when I spoke to prosecutors," Karima El-Mahroug, a dancer nicknamed "Ruby the Heart Stealer", said at a separate trial against three friends of Berlusconi's accused of pimping for him.

"The majority of the things I said were not true," she said.

Berlusconi's alleged call-girl says lied to investigators

Agence France-Presse — Fri, 24 May 2013 12:02:59 +0000

Agence France-Presse

"The majority of the things I said were not true," she said.

Berlusconi alleged call-girl testifies for first time

Agence France-Presse — Fri, 17 May 2013 11:46:17 +0000

Agence France-Presse

The woman alleged to have had sex for money with Silvio Berlusconi when she was just 17 and he was the prime minister testified in court for the first time on Friday at a trial of three people accused of pimping for the billionaire tycoon.

Karima El-Mahroug described "sensual" soirees in a discotheque at Berlusconi's villa that invitees called the "bunga bunga", saying she was paid 2,000 or 3,000 euros ($2,600 or $3,900) a night.

Moroccan woman at centre of Berlusconi sex scandal testifies publicly for first time

The Canadian Press — Fri, 17 May 2013 09:46:21 +0000

The Canadian Press

MILAN - The Moroccan woman at the centre of a sex scandal involving former Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi is testifying publicly for the first time.

Karima el-Mahroug took the witness stand Friday in the trial of three Berlusconi aides charged with recruiting her and other women for prostitution. They deny the charges.

El-Mahroug, known by the nickname Ruby Heart Stealer, has made carefully orchestrated statements to the media since the scandal broke but has never publicly given sworn testimony. Both she and Berlusconi deny having had sex.

Italian prosecutors sum up in Berlusconi sex trial

Agence France-Presse — Mon, 13 May 2013 20:05:59 +0000

Agence France-Presse

Italian prosecutors presented their final arguments on Monday at the close of Silvio Berlusconi's trial for having sex with an underage prostitute and abuse of office in a legal storm that is shaking the government.

The hearing is one of the last in a trial that began two years ago and relates to alleged crimes in 2010 when Berlusconi was still prime minister and revolves around alleged raunchy "bunga bunga" parties at his luxury residence outside Milan.

Two decades of courtroom saga for Italy's Berlusconi

Agence France-Presse — Mon, 13 May 2013 15:06:07 +0000

Agence France-Presse

For two decades, legal troubles have haunted Italy's former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, whose conviction for tax fraud linked to his Mediaset business empire was upheld on Wednesday.

Berlusconi has never seen the inside of a prison cell, however, showing a knack for getting off the hook and prolonging trials so long that charges eventually expire under the statute of limitations.

It is unlikely the 76-year-old will ever go to prison since Italy has lenient sentencing guidelines for over-70s, who are given short prison terms.

Italian court upholds Berlusconi tax fraud sentence

Agence France-Presse — Mon, 13 May 2013 15:05:37 +0000

Agence France-Presse

An Italian court on Wednesday upheld a tax fraud conviction for former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, confirming his sentence of one year in prison and a five-year ban from public office.

"The court confirms the sentence against Silvio Berlusconi," a judge in Milan said in a live audio feed broadcast by news channel Sky TG 24.

Berlusconi is now expected to appeal the ruling in Italy's highest court, which would suspend the punishment pending a final ruling in the case which revolves around his Mediaset business empire.

Italian prosecutors sum up in Berlusconi sex trial

Agence France-Presse — Mon, 13 May 2013 13:15:18 +0000

Agence France-Presse

Berlusconi affirms loyalty to coalition government

Agence France-Presse — Mon, 13 May 2013 00:45:09 +0000

Agence France-Presse

Silvio Berlusconi affirmed over the weekend his centre-right movement's loyalty to the grand coalition government of Prime Minister Enrico Letta at a rally in a northern city which attracted noisy support and dissent.

"We believe in the government and we loyally support it because it is committed to achieving measures which we regard as vital for reviving the economy," former prime minister Berlusconi told the crowds in Brescia on Saturday.

"Contracts between right-minded people are respected" and "I am a loyal person" he told them.

Italy's Berlusconi attacks judges but backs Letta government

Thomson Reuters — Sat, 11 May 2013 23:45:04 +0000

Thomson Reuters

By James Mackenzie

ROME (Reuters) - Silvio Berlusconi launched a fierce attack on magistrates at a stormy political rally on Saturday, accusing them of trying to eliminate him politically but he pledged to keep supporting the fragile coalition of center-left Prime Minister Enrico Letta.

The leader of Italy's center right, whose appeal against a tax fraud conviction was rejected this week and who still faces trial on charges of paying for sex with a minor, repeated his longstanding accusations against prosecutors.

Italian court upholds Berlusconi tax fraud sentence

Agence France-Presse — Fri, 10 May 2013 20:37:29 +0000

Agence France-Presse

An Italian court on Wednesday upheld a tax fraud conviction for former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, confirming his sentence of one year in prison and a five-year ban from public office.

"The court confirms the sentence against Silvio Berlusconi," a judge in Milan said in a live audio feed broadcast by news channel Sky TG 24.

Berlusconi is now expected to appeal the ruling in Italy's highest court, which would suspend the punishment pending a final ruling in the case which revolves around his Mediaset business empire.