Italy

New immunity law shields Berlusconi

Article published on the 2008-07-23 Latest update 2008-07-23 13:50 TU

Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi
(File photo: Reuters)

A new immunity law has been approved by the Italian Senate, protecting Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi from prosecution while in office. This law protects Italy's four highest positions, including prime minister, president, and the speakers of the two parliamentary chambers. The Senate voted 171 for, 128 against, with six abstentions.

The law had been opposed by judges and most of the left-wing parties, but the Chamber of Deputies, Italy's lower house, voted in favour of it last month.

Berlusconi's corruption trial will now be "frozen" until he serves his term in office. He faced charges that he paid his lawyer David Mills 380,000 euros to give favourable testimony in two trials.

Both the prime minister and Mills were on trial with a dozen others for tax fraud in the purchase of film rights in the US by Mediaset, part of Berlusconi's publishing empire.

Berlusconi had repreatedly accused judges in Milan of trying to conduct a smear campaign against him.

The new law also suspends the statute of limitations until the defendant leaves office. It does not, however, protect a person who moves from one of the four protected positions to another.

Also on the Berlusconi plan is a reform of the judicial system. He wants to speed up the trail process and curb what he views as the judiciary's excessive power.