THE “JUDICIAL spring” of Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi began in earnest yesterday morning in Milan when for the first time in eight years he attended a hearing of one of his many trials.
Mr Berlusconi appeared for two hours at what was essentially a procedural hearing of the so-called Mediatrade trial, in which his Mediaset company is accused of fiscal fraud, having allegedly acquired Hollywood movie rights at inflated prices via offshore accounts to evade taxes and create a slush fund.
The last time Mr Berlusconi presented himself in court, in June 2003 during the SME food products trial, he made an extended and forceful “spontaneous declaration” but did not submit to questioning.
He made no statement in court yesterday, was not questioned and limited himself to shaking hands with the two public prosecutors, Fabio De Pasquale and Sergio Spadaro.
Hours earlier, Mr Berlusconi had participated in a phone-in with his Canale 5 television station, in which he called himself the “most persecuted man in the history of the universe”, again claiming he is the victim of a political witch-hunt by leftist magistrates in the service of “communism in Italy, which has never gone away and never changed”.
The prime minister had entered the courthouse by a side entrance but after the hearing he stopped in front of the Palazzo di Giustizia, where a group of his supporters had gathered to express solidarity.
Standing on the running board of his state car, he waved to his supporters, told them the hearing had “gone extremely well” and added that he would be back for the next hearing, on April 4th.
Even as Mr Berlusconi greeted his supporters, however, other groups heckled him. Militants of the Italy of Values party, led by former investigating magistrate Antonio Di Pietro, had greeted the prime minister with a large placard that read: “Welcome back, inside they are waiting for you”.
If the prime minister returns for the April 4th hearing, it will mark the beginning of a very busy judicial period for him, as he is due in court also on April 6th and 11th, as well as on May 2nd, 9th and 30th.
He is indicted in four trials: two Mediaset trials; the so-called Mills trial; and the so-called Rubygate sex scandal case, due to open on April 6th.
It remains unclear whether the prime minister will attend the opening of the Rubygate trial, easily the most controversial of the four, in which he will stand accused of “exploitation of underage prostitution” and of “abuse of office”.