Berlusconi skips tax fraud hearing
September 27th, 2011 - 12:34 am ICT by IANSMilan, Sep 26 (IANS/AKI) Silvio Berlusconi’s tax fraud trial involving his media empire was adjourned Monday till Oct 5 after the Italian prime minister and several defence witnesses skipped the hearing.
The 74-year-old Berlusconi and his co-accused deny allegations that he and executives of his private broadcaster, Mediaset, inflated the price paid for acquiring television rights via offshore companies controlled by him.
The judge in the Milan court Monday warned that the trial could be “timed out” by Italy’s statute of limitations unless the hearings set for Oct 5 and 26 went ahead.
The lawyers in Berlusconi’s defence team hinted that the prime minister’s prior commitments may also prevent him from attending court Oct 5.
Berlusconi is currently on trial in three other cases on charges of bribery, sex with an underage prostitute and abuse of office.
The tax fraud trial was suspended last year following the introduction of a law allowing the prime minister to avoid court appearances on account of government duties. But in January, Italy’s Constitutional Court struck down part of the provision.
Berlusconi has since attended some of the hearings.
He has repeatedly rejected opposition calls for him to resign over the government’s handling of the stricken Italian economy and various scandals that have hit him.
The prime minister has said he would only stand down if he lost a parliamentary confidence vote.
–IANS/AKI
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Tags: bribery, confidence vote, constitutional court, court appearances, defence team, defence witnesses, fraud trial, government duties, italian economy, italian prime minister, media empire, milan court, oct 5, offshore companies, private broadcaster, scandals, silvio berlusconi, statute of limitations, tax fraud, television rights