Italy PM Berlusconi in first trial showing since 2003 Skip to main content

Italy PM Berlusconi in first trial showing since 2003

Click to play
WATCH: Silvio Berlusconi stopped to wave to supporters as he left court

Berlusconi's troubles

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has appeared in court in Milan where he faces charges of corruption.
Emerging after one-and-a-half hours, he told supporters that "it all went well". He had earlier described the case against him as "ridiculous".
Mr Berlusconi, a defendant in a total of four trials, has not attended a case for more than seven years.
He says he will attend as many hearings as possible to prove his innocence.
The grey palace of justice building was ringed with police and media crews as Mr Berlusconi's motorcade drove in, our correspondent says. Dozens of supporters stood outside the building, holding placards and waving flags.
The prime minister went straight into an underground car park before heading for the court room.
Monday's trial, taking place behind closed doors, concerns one of Mr Berlusconi's media companies, Mediatrade.
The Italian prime minister denies claims he inflated the price paid to buy television rights, and then skimmed off the difference to fund political and other activities.
His son and a number of others are accused alongside him.
Fifty trials "None of the facts on which the Milan prosecutors have built their case is true," Mr Berlusconi told the Canale 5 TV channel on Monday. He made no comment during the hearing itself, which revolved around technical matters.
But as he left the court building, he waved to crowds of supporters from the step of a car, saying that he would attend the next hearing on 4 April.
The 74-year-old prime minister has been a defendant in about 50 trials in his career, but has exercised his right to stay away, accusing the judiciary of being politically biased against him.
Now he says he will turn up at as many hearings as his job permits in order to prove his innocence.
Sex and corruption Although Mr Berlusconi was unlikely to make any statement during the hearing, he said earlier that the legal process against him was an attempt by the Left to "eliminate the key obstacle" to their seizure of power.
Another reason why he is due to appear in court is that Mr Berlusconi had his immunity from prosecution watered down in January.
As well as this court case, he also faces two other corruption trials and a fourth where he is accused of paying an underage prostitute.
In that trial, Mr Berlusconi faces up to 15 years in jail.
In each case Mr Berlusconi says he is innocent.
But although the cumulative effect of these sex and corruption scandals have taken their toll on his popularity, there is no immediate threat to his position as prime minister.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12877250
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sri Bhaddanta Chandramani Mahathera

The Life Story of A Distinguished And Outstanding Bhikkhu The Most Venerable Saradawpharagree Sri Bhaddanta Chandramani Mahathera The Buddhist missionary Saradaw Ashin U Chandramani was endowed with great gifts and led a famous and long life. He was a very well known, distinguished and outstanding Bhikkhu Mahathera. While living in the Kushinagar Monastery, a place close to where the Lord Buddha had passed away to Nirvana, the Government of India had offered, and he had accepted, the highest, most honourable and respected title "Guru Guru MahaGuru". He became the first ever President of all Buddhists in India.A World Buddhist Conference took place in Kathmandu during the reign of King Mahindra of Nepal. The Conference was very well attended by over one hundred thousand Buddhists from various parts of the world and it was opened by King Mahindra himself. As requested by the King, Saradawpharagree blessed all the participants with the power of Triple Gems...
Post a Comment
Read more

Thai penis whitening trend raises eyebrows

Image copyright LELUXHOSPITAL Image caption Authorities warn the procedure could be quite painful A supposed trend of penis whitening has captivated Thailand in recent days and left it asking if the country's beauty industry is taking things too far. Skin whitening is nothing new in many Asian countries, where darker skin is often associated with outdoor labour, therefore, being poorer. But even so, when a clip of a clinic's latest intriguing procedure was posted online, it quickly went viral. Thailand's health ministry has since issued a warning over the procedure. The BBC Thai service spoke to one patient who had undergone the treatment, who told them: "I wanted to feel more confident in my swimming briefs". The 30-year-old said his first session of several was two months ago, and he had since seen a definite change in the shade. 'What for?' The original Facebook post from the clinic offering the treatment, which uses lasers to break do...
1 comment
Read more

Three Dead, Seven Injured by Artillery Shells in Two Incidents in Myanmar’s Mrauk-U

By MIN AUNG KHINE 2 December 2019 Sittwe, Rakhine State –Three Mrauk-U township residents died and four others were injured when an artillery shell struck their community in the Ale Zay quarter of Mrauk-U town on Monday afternoon after 4 p.m. A month-old girl, a 4-year-old boy and a 30-year-old woman died, according to Dr. Khin Maung Yin, the head of Mrauk-U hospital. He said, “A man and three other women were injured. One of the women sustained severe injures to her left leg and her right knee was dislocated. The injured will be operated on.” Details of what occurred were not yet known. A few hours earlier, three civilians were injured when an artillery shell fell on the village of Na Leik in Mrauk-U Township, Rakhine State, western Myanmar, on Monday at around 1 p.m., according to Yan Aung Pyin village-tract administrator U Sein Hla Aung. Two females, aged 13 and 27, and an 18-year-old male were injured in the incident, he said. Three people were hit by shrapnel and we have...
Post a Comment
Read more