Berlusconi bribery trial rejected by judges
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Italian judges yesterday threw out bribery charges against the former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, saying that the statute of limitation had run out.
The billionaire media mogul was accused of paying his former tax lawyer, David Mills – the estranged husband of Labour MP Tessa Jowell – to lie in court.
Mr Berlusconi, who resigned as premier in November as the eurozone crisis engulfed Italy, has always denied any wrongdoing in the case, repeatedly accusing what he called politically biased left-wing judges of mounting a campaign to destroy him.
The prosecution alleged that Mr Berlusconi gave Mr Mills £382,000 to lie in court about Mr Berlusconi's business interests; it demanded a five-year sentence. The British lawyer was convicted in 2009 of taking a bribe from Mr Berlusconi and received a four-and-a-half-year jail sentence. The conviction was quashed in 2010.
Last December, Mr Mills told a Milan court the money had come from an associate he had not wanted to admit dealing with. He said he was "deeply ashamed" for falsely claiming Mr Berlusconi had given him the money.
The latest trial had been suspended many times because of Mr Berlusconi's prime ministerial duties and a period of immunity granted by parliament.
In a statement, Mr Berlusconi said Mr Mills was "one of many lawyers abroad that occasionally worked for the Fininvest group. I don't recall ever having met him".
He still faces trials linked to his Mediaset empire and on charges of paying for sex with an underage prostitute.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments