Silvio Berlusconi took an
unexpected sideswipe at the judiciary while giving evidence at a
murky bribery trial, opening himself up to the risk of being
forced to spend the remainder of a tax-fraud conviction under
house arrest rather than doing community service.
Berlusconi told the Naples court Thursday that the Italian
judiciary was "uncontrolled, uncontrollable and irresponsible"
and has "full immunity" after being asked a question by the
judge.
Berlusconi has repeated said that two decades of legal
battles that started after he embarked on a political career are
part of a plot by left-wing elements in the judiciary to
eliminate him from Italy's public life.
The 77-year-old billionaire has been warned that if he
continues to "defame" the judiciary, he will be forced to serve
the time on a definitive tax-fraud conviction under house
arrest.
Berlusconi is about half way through the year remaining on
the sentence, after three years were covered by amnesties.
The centre-right leader is currently serving the sentence
by doing community service one day a week at a residential home
for sick elderly people.
He has been working mainly with Alzheimer's patients.
"I don't understand the reasons behind these questions,"
Berlusconi said to the judge.
Judge Giovanna Ceppaluni replied: "you don't have to
understand".
The trial is one of several involving Berlusconi.
His most serious one, involving sex with an underage
prostitute, goes to the appeals stage Friday after he got seven
years from a court of first instance.
In Thursday's evidence Berlusconi tolld the court about his
relationship with former associate Valter Lavitola, who is on
trial for alleged extortion and bribery against construction
company Impregilo on a project in Panama.
The centre-right leader told the Naples court he was
"proud" to have made a telephone call to former Impregilo
president Massimo Ponzellini in August 2011 exhorting the
construction company to build a hospital in the central American
republic as promised or see the Panamese government issue a
statement that would cause it to lose credibility with
investors.
Berlusconi said Lavitola, a former newspaper editor, had
asked him to contact Impregilo on behalf of the government of
President Ricardo Martinelli.
Lavitola told him to say that if the company did not build
the promised hospital, the government would revoke its contracts
for the expansion of the Panama canal, the three-time premier
said.
In March 2013 Lavitola was convicted of trying to blackmail
Berlusconi in exchange for hushing up payments to escorts at the
ex-premier's home.
He was sentenced to two years and eight months in the
original trial but subsequently saw his sentence halved on
appeal.
The former director of the Avanti! newspaper was also
indicted with Berlusconi last October for allegedly acting as a
go-between in the case of Senator Sergio De Gregorio, who
confessed to switching political sides after receiving two
million euros from the centre-right leader during
a centre-left government led by ex-European Commission president
Romano Prodi, who beat Berlusconi in two general elections.
Prosecutors have alleged that Lavitola tried to bribe other
Senators who have not been identified.
Lavitola returned to Italy in 2012 after a self-imposed
exile in Panama.
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