The government coalition has spent the weekend relaxing. Prodi has remarked that he intends to wait and see what happens since his sole interest is to get on with his program. The remote possibility that Berlusconi will sit down to discuss reforms is viewed with caution as Berlusconi systematically manipulates negotiations to buy time.
The Public Minister of Milano, Fabio De Pasquale, said today that Berlusconi and the head of Mediaset, Fedele Confalonieri, will be charged with fiscal fraud and cooking the books for a total of 30,9 million euro through the year 2003. The present trial for fiscal fraud was based on evidence through the year 2000. However, Berlusconi had passed a law, the so-called ex-Cirielli, that cut the statue of limitations in half for a series of crimes that for pure coincidence are the same crimes Berlusconi is presently charged with. The new charges are well within the statue of limitations. The law is called ex-Cirielli because the gentleman who wrote it disowned it as it was rendered more execrable in parliament.
A martyr to communist justice, it's a great way to kick off his new personal political entity.
In the Milan trial the judge ruled today that the accusations against Confalonieri and Berlusconi are extinguished by the statute of limitations.
De Pasquale intends to press the new charges of fiscal fraud through 2003 against Berlusconi in a new trial. Because there's a six year limit for his crimes, any new trial will get nowhere.
Ya, that's freedom for you, conservative brand.
