The Court of Bari on Monday revoked
an order mandating law enforcement to accompany Silvio
Berlusconi to appear as a witness in court, after he assured
judges that he will appear on July 10 at his next scheduled
hearing in the trial of Gianpaolo Tarantini.
Tarantini and six other defendants are charged with
procuring prostitutes for the ex-premier's alleged sex parties
between 2008 and 2009.
Berlusconi is accused of bribing Tarantini to lie to
investigators probing the parties.
Berlusconi has missed two consecutive scheduled court
appearances in the trial, and a judge granted his defence team's
request to revoke the order, assuring the court of Berlusconi's
appearance in Friday's scheduled hearing.
Berlusconi missed the first appearance in early June
because he was in Lugano, Switzerland for the sale of part of
the AC Milan football club, which he owns.
He missed his second appearance, on June 25, due to a
meeting he attended in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir
Putin, which Berlusconi's lawyers say was scheduled prior to the
date of the court hearing being set.
Bari judges said that appointment wasn't "a legitimate
impediment" to appearing in court, which led to the compulsory
accompanying order.
Berlusconi, through his lawyers, has said that he will
invoke his right to remain silent.
Despite that statement, the Court of Bari said his
testimony is considered "relevant and admissible".
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