New corruption accusations against Berlusconi

A Milan court on Tuesday released the full reasoning behind its February conviction of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's British tax lawyer, David Mills. The court said Mills had given false testimony to protect Berlusconi and his Fininvest holding group.

Mills was convicted of taking a 440,000 euro ($600,000) bribe in 1998 in exchange for withholding incriminating details about Berlusconi's business dealings. Berlusconi was not prime minister at the time.

The prime minister said he believes the release was deliberately timed to damage his party ahead of European elections in early June.

"With two weeks to go before the elections, the prime minister is the subject of a well-timed political attack," government spokesman Paolo Bonaiuti said on a television show.

Although Berlusconi is immune to prosecution as long as he is prime minister, due to a law he championed last year, some have called for his resignation.

Berlusconi has repeatedly accused Milan's "red judges" of having it in for him, after fighting charges of tax fraud, false accounting and illegally financing political parties. None of the charges have ever stuck.

Berlusconi said he would address the issue of the documents in parliament.

These new revelations come amidst a very public breakup with his second wife, Veronica Lario, who criticized him for originally including several attractive young women with little political experience as candidates for his center-right People of Freedom party in EU elections and has suggested that he "cavorts with minors."

A recent survey conducted by the newspaper La Repubblica found that Berlusconi's approval rating had slipped three points in April to 53 percent.

hf/AFP/Reuters
Editor: Nancy Isenson