Post date: Aug 01, 2013 9:33:32 AM
Italy's highest court is expected to rule on the final appeal by former Prime MinisterSilvio Berlusconi against a prison term and a ban for tax fraud, a verdict that could finally stifle the four-time premier's political career.
ROME, ITALY (AUGUST 1, 2013) (REUTERS) - Italy's supreme court is expected to rule on Thursday (August 1) afternoon on a tax fraud conviction against former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi in a case that could decide not only his future but that of Italy's fragile coalition government.
The Court of Cassation on Wednesday (July 31) afternoon heard more than three hours of arguments from Berlusconi's two lawyers challenging the verdict of a lower appeals court which sentenced him to jail and a ban from public office for the fraudulent purchase of broadcasting rights by his Mediaset television empire.The court then adjourned until Thursday when a court official said the five judges would begin considering their decision at noon (1000 GMT/6 a.m. ET). The court can confirm the sentence, overturn it or send the case back to the appeals court for a retrial because of legal errors.
If the court confirms the sentence, there could be political turmoil in the midst ofItaly's worst post-war recession.
The weak coalition government of Prime Minister Enrico Letta's centre-leftDemocratic Party (PD) and Berlusconi's centre-right People of Freedom (PDL) could be plunged into crisis, with potential fallout across the euro zone.
Some locals say they would welcome the change.
"If they condemn Mr. Berlusconi there will be a radical change in Italy because the institutions, by condemning him, will also condemn all the others, all the other politicians who created a disaster out of Italy, they've brought us to the brink. I am okay because I have a job but the young people have no future in today's Italy and if they want a future they have to leave and go abroad," said Giuseppe Fortugnooutside the court house.
Berlusconi's chief lawyer, Franco Coppi, told the supreme court judges that the lower court had ignored defence arguments that Berlusconi was not directly involved in Mediaset's business dealings after he entered politics in 1994.
The 76-year-old media tycoon says he has been persecuted by leftist judges ever since he entered politics in 1994, but if he loses the supreme court case it will be his first definitive conviction in at least two dozen trials.
Rome resident Guido Boccanera, who told Reuters he had served several prison sentences, said he however believed Berlusconi's status had worked in his favour in his legal troubles.
"If we talk so much about this Berlusconi case why not also talk about the guy passing through this square today who is expecting a verdict in a homicide case? The principle is, unfortunately, that even if the verdict was wrong, it must be respected otherwise everybody will start saying that the judge has condemned him because he supported a rival football team or because he has different political beliefs or a different religion or a different colour of skin, that's it," he said.
But Berlusconi's supporters say the former premier has been specifically targeted by magistrates.
"I think he will be acquitted because I think that's the right thing to do. So I hope he will be acquitted. There has been a judiciary persecution against Berlusconi which has lasted 20 years. It's a scandal. So, let's see if the court of cassation will be reasonable," said Alfredo Angeloni.
Because of his age, the jail sentence would be served through community service or house arrest. Followers say Berlusconi would still run his party, which he founded and bankrolls and which has no clear alternative leader.
But the power and campaigning skills which have enabled him to dominate Italian politics for 20 years, since the so-called Bribesville graft investigation wiped out the old political order, would be severely curtailed.
There is speculation that Berlusconi's oldest daughter, Marina, 46 and chairwoman of his Fininvest holding company, would become the PDL party's public figurehead if he is convicted.
Berlusconi's most hawkish supporters have threatened a mass desertion of the government and parliament and blocking of Italy's motorways with public demonstrations if he is convicted.
But a greater threat to the government could come from Letta's party, which is torn by a leadership struggle. Many of the party's members are already deeply uneasy about being in coalition with Berlusconi and could rebel if he is found guilty.
Politicians from all sides are waiting anxiously for the verdict, with uncertainty over Berlusconi's fate adding to inertia which has prevented Letta's fractious government from passing urgently needed economic reforms.
The supreme court decision is not Berlusconi's only legal headache. He is also appealing in a lower court against a seven-year jail sentence in June for abuse of office and paying for sex with Moroccan-born nightclub dancer Karima El Mahroug, alias "Ruby the Heartstealer", when she was underage.