PM Berlusconi appears in court and denies wrong doing

[News_Editor]

PM Berlusconi appears in court and denies wrong doing

2011-03-28 22:12:40 GMT+7 (ICT)

MILAN, ITALY (BNO NEWS) -- Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on Monday appeared in court for a hearing for one of the four trials he faces, the ANSA news agency reported.

The Premier denied any wrong doing and said the charges against him were 'ridiculous'. Furthermore, he described himself as 'the most indicted man in history and in the universe'.

Berlusconi is facing four criminal trials, one for paying an underage prostitute for sex and three regarding fraud offenses. Monday's hearing was in relation to a tax fraud on broadcasting rights traded by Mediatrade, a unit of the PM's Mediaset media giant.

"The accusations are groundless and ridiculous. Like the previous ones, the Mediatrade trial is an attempt to eliminate the Left's biggest obstacle to winning power," said Berlusconi.

The Italian leader, 74, has blamed the leftist opposition of pushing the charges against him in attempt to oust him. However, he vowed to stay as PM until the end of his term in office in 2013. Opposition parties have demanded the dismissal of Berlusconi due to the fraud and prostitution scandals in repeated occasions.

The PM did not attend court for the first of the three graft trials over the fraudulent sale of film rights. The graft trials were reactivated after a Constitutional Court partly lifted a judicial shield that protected Berlusconi.

The so-called legitimate impediment law impeded the Prime Minister from attending hearings regarding three trials against him. The Court's ruling dismantled the overall framework of the immunity law

Berlusconi is expected to attend the next hearing of another graft trial on April 11. The PM is accused of paying British tax lawyer David Mills for alleged favorable testimony.

In addition, the PM will face a fourth trial over the prostitution scandal with an underage Moroccan dancer and abuse of power. The first hearing was scheduled for April 6 and prosecutors claim to have ample evidence against the Italian leader.

Berlusconi is accused of paying Karima El Mahroug, a Moroccan belly dancer known as Ruby, for sex in September 2009. She was only 16 years old at that time and the alleged offenses took place in parties held in the PM's Milan villa.

If convicted, Berlusconi could face up to 15 years in prison. Using a sex worker under the age of 18 carries a jail term of up to three years, while abuse of office carries a term ranging from six to 12 years.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-03-28