ITALY:SILVIO BERLUSCONI is on course to end his problems with Italy's courts after his cabinet launched a bill yesterday giving him immunity from prosecution while he remains in office.
The Italian prime minister's majorities in both houses of parliament are likely to ensure the bill becomes law, suspending his trial in Milan for allegedly paying a bribe to British lawyer David Mills in return for favourable evidence in previous trials. Both men deny wrongdoing.
Berlusconi (71) has been involved in 1,000 hearings in 17 different trials, says his lawyer Nicolo Ghedini. The media mogul has hitherto been acquitted or benefited from the statute of limitations. He claims he is persecuted by politicised magistrates.
The bill, which suspends the statute of limitations while ongoing trials are blocked, is a rewording of a law passed by Mr Berlusconi's previous government in 2003 which was deemed unconstitutional by Italy's constitutional court. The measure will also halt any trials faced by the Italian president and the speakers of the two houses of parliament.
"If [Berlusconi] wanted to take care of his own interests, he would defend himself by taking part in all the hearings," said Angelino Alfano, Italy's justice minister. "But in that case he would be distracted from government activity, so he would render a good service to himself and a bad one to the country."
Antonio Di Pietro, head of the opposition Italy of Values party, warned the bill would usher in a "sweet dictatorship" and said he would push for a referendum.
The Mills trial was set to be halted by a new amendment which suspends for one year trials for alleged crimes committed before June 2002. But Mr Berlusconi rejected accusations that he would benefit from this by announcing that he would ask for the ruling not to be applied to his trial with Mills.
The bill announced yesterday will instead give Berlusconi the rest of his term free from court appearances.