Reuters: Judge orders Berlusconi, Mills to stand trial in fraud case

[Eugene]

Judge orders Berlusconi, Mills to stand trial in fraud case
Fri Jul 7, 2006 4:43 PM BST

MILAN (Reuters) - A judge on Friday ordered Italy's former Prime
Minister Silvio Berlusconi to stand trial over alleged fraud at his
family's broadcaster Mediaset.

Preliminary hearings began in October after a four year investigation
by Milan magistrates into claims of embezzlement, false accounting,
tax fraud and money laundering in television rights deals between 1994
and 1999.

Berlusconi has denied any wrongdoing.

The judge also ordered that 13 other people, including British lawyer
David Mills, the husband of a British government minister, should also
be tried over the alleged fraud at Mediaset, judicial and legal sources
said.

<snip>

Full article: http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=UKNews1&storyID=2006-07-07T154314Z_01_L07922974_RTRUKOC_0_UK-ITALY-BERLUSCONI.xml

edit to fix headline

[stop the bleeding]

1. Good n/t

[UTUSN]

2. Bwahahahah!!!1 K&R n/t

[Vidar]

3. Go, Italy, go!

[0007]

4. Another good guy on the "Kenny Boy" side.

Where does junior find all these rotten cocksuckers?

[Tyler Durden]

8. It's easy for the Pig Bush to find sycophants.

He merely looks in his lap to see who is sucking his cock at the moment.

[UpInArms]

5. Italy's Berlusconi indicted over Mediaset: reports

http://www.marketwatch.com/News/Story/Story.aspx?guid=%7B3BA11084%2D32A2%2D4236%2D8ABC%2DA4666FAE0BC9%7D&dist=newsfinder&symbol=&siteid=mktw

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has been ordered to stand trial following an investigation into his family's company Mediaset SpA (MDIUY : ) (IT:106321 : ) , according to media reports Friday. Berlusconi, Mediaset Chairman Fedele Confalonieri and 12 others were ordered to stand trial. Prosecutors have been investigating claims of embezzlement, false accounting, tax fraud and money laundering in TV rights deals between 1994 and 1999, the reports said. The trial is scheduled for November.

...short blurb...

[marmar]

6. No wonder the clown fought so hard to stay in office....

Ciao, Silvio. Pronto.

[eppur_se_muova]

7. Berlusconi to be tried for fraud (BBC)

An Italian judge has ruled that former PM Silvio Berlusconi should stand trial over alleged fraud concerning his family's media company Mediaset.

He is one of 14 people sent for trial by Judge Fabio Paparella in the northern city of Milan.

It follows an investigation into claims of embezzlement, false accounting, tax fraud and money laundering in TV rights deals between 1994 and 1999.
***
Lawyer David Mills, the estranged husband of British Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell, and Fedele Confalonieri, chairman of Mediaset, have also been ordered to stand trial. They also deny any wrongdoing.

The defendents are accused of involvement in the use of offshore firms to buy US television and cinema rights, reselling them at inflated prices to Mediaset, to avoid paying less Italian tax.
***
more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5159198.stm

Finally! The first of the triumvirate to fall, and it doesn't look like he's coming back. Still no decision on the bribery charges though; that's something to look forward to.

[goforit]

9. Whooo Hoooo......Bring it on!!!

Illuminate?..... Gonna try to save this assa hole?

[leesa]

10. I wonder if Berlusconi has clogged coronary arteries?

[rman]

11. Darn activist judges, actively trying to preserve justice...

Who do they think they are?

[NVMojo]

12. good news!!!

[DaveColorado]

13. Berlusconi to be tried for fraud

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5159198.stm


Berlusconi to be tried for fraud

Silvio Berlusconi denies he has done anything wrong
An Italian judge has ruled that former PM Silvio Berlusconi should stand trial over alleged fraud concerning his family's media company Mediaset.

He is one of 14 people sent for trial by Judge Fabio Paparella in the northern city of Milan.

It follows an investigation into claims of embezzlement, false accounting, tax fraud and money laundering in TV rights deals between 1994 and 1999.

The trial is set to begin in November. Mr Berlusconi denies any wrongdoing.

Mr Berlusconi, who headed a centre-right government for five years until he resigned after his defeat in April's general election, claims he is the victim of politically biased left-wing judges.

[Joanne98]

14. The old activist judges routine.

[DaveColorado]

15. Karma ain't a bitch

Karma is a beautiful thing.

[truth2power]

16. How come we can't do that with our thugs? n/t

[DaveColorado]

18. The universe will sort itself out

If you are win/lose long enough at the expense of others the universe will come and bite you in the ass.

Sometimes it takes a while. :)

[truth2power]

22. You know?...I really do think

the universe tends toward balance. Or maybe it's just that I need to have something to hold onto...not believing in a literal Hell and all.

I keep telling myself that the universe works on a much longer time-frame than my own. Patience is not my strong suit, unfortunately. :eyes:

[Auntie Bush]

17. Yeah, just like Tom DeLay, Jack Abranoff, (too many to list)

were all prosecuted by "Activist left wing judges"

[BlueManDude]

19. and worse - AC Milan to be demoted from Serie A. n/t

[1932]

20. I vaguely remember reading that he had immunity as PM

and that there was some particular lawsuit that was in the wings while he was PM. I wonder if this is the one.

You know, I'm always saying that the thing that makes a good politician is that they appear to have conviction -- the sense that the thing that motivates them to be a politician is an honest concern with the way other people live.

It would be so depressing if Berlusconni's motivation for being PM was immunity from conviction.

[Vidar]

21. I hope we can follow Italy back to sanity.