Italian Prime Minister Mr Silvio Berlusconi is pressing parliament to reinstate political immunity as his corruption trial nears its end.
The prime minister is on trial for allegedly bribing judges in a corporate takeover battle in the 1980s. Earlier this week his friend and political ally Cesare Previti was convicted of graft in a similar case.
A guilty verdict could create an institutional crisis, pitting the judiciary against the prime minister. The case has international implications as a verdict could come while Italy holds the rotating EU presidency from July to December.
Mr Berlusconi, who denies all allegations and has accused Milan's magistrates of leading a politically motivated smear campaign against him, is seeking refuge in political immunity, restricted in 1993 during Italy's "clean hands" corruption trials that brought down a whole political class.
"Immunity, which has been violated, must immediately be reinstated," Mr Berlusconi said after the Previti verdict.
The legal spotlight on Mr Berlusconi will intensify on Monday when he plans to make a statement at his own trial.
The case involves rival bids in 1985 to buy food and catering group SME from the state-owned IRI conglomerate, which was then run by Mr Romano Prodi, now EU Commission president.
Prosecutors allege Mr Berlusconi paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes to get a Rome judge to rule against a rival bid. In the end, neither won control of the company.
Defence lawyers say they could call Mr Prodi - a former centre-left prime minister who is widely expected to return to Italian politics - to the witness stand.