After meeting with Belarusian dictator Berlusconi to stand trial

Today Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is arriving in Belarus to meet with Lukashenka.

However, in his home country Italian Prime Minister has some problems. A trial against Silvio Berlusconi who is charged with bribes to his former British tax adviser David Mills is to resume on December 4. An appeals court in Milan where the trial is to take place, scheduled this date last Friday.

The prosecution states that the head of the Italian government bought silence of his British lawyer who was a witness in a corruption case which related to actions of Berlusconi’s company in early 1990ies.

Mills who told about “the $600,000 present” from Berlusconi in a letter to his friend , which was the main evidence, has been sentenced to 4.5 years of imprisonment for accepting the bribe and perjury. Berlusconi was indirectly found guilty in this case by the court of first instance.

However, proceedings against Berlusconi were suspended after a law on state leaders’ immunity was adopted. Later the country's constitutional court lifted his immunity from prosecution.

We remind that on October 7 the so-called “Alfano law” which guaranteed Berlusconi immunity, was found contradicting the law of the country by the Constitutional Court of Italy.

About 90 criminal cases have been initiated against the Italian Prime Minister over the last 10 years. 73 media magnate was charged with tax evasion and illegal financing of political parties, corruption. However Berlusconi was found not guilty or criminal charges against him elapsed under the statute of limitations.

Recently the Italian Prime Minister started to establish close toes with dictators. Before his visit to Minsk and meeting with Alyaksandr Lukashenka, who is called the last dictator if Europe, Berlusconi had talks with Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov on November 25.