A tax fraud trial involving Italy’s Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi resumed on Monday in his absence in the first of a series of showdowns between the embattled leader and the state’s justice system.
Berlusconi has been asked to answer accusations that his Mediaset business empire engaged in a fraud to make its revenues appear smaller than they really were.
The prosecution alleges the accounting trick allowed the group to build up a slush fund overseas while reducing its tax liabilities in Italy.
The case being heard in Milan was suspended in April last year following the adoption of a law the previous month granting 74-year-old Berlusconi impunity from prosecution for 18 months.
In mid-January the Constitutional Court partially struck down that measure, opening the way for the resumption of the court case.
Legal troubles
Monday’s hearing is likely to be brief and focus on establishing a timetable for future hearings in the case, given that the Italian leader is implicated in three other court cases and that he can also legitimately avoid appearing in court by saying that his official duties prevent him from attending hearings.
“It is necessary to set out a timetable of hearings while taking into account the fact that there are hearings in the other cases,” said Berlusconi lawyer Piero Longo.
Berlusconi’s political career spanning almost two decades has been plagued by legal troubles but the leader himself has not appeared in court for years.
The prime minister is also due to go on trial in April over accusations that he had sex with an underage prostitute, as well as abuse of power. — Sapa-AFP