I might add several points concerning the trial. Naturally, since Mills has been condemned partially because of his original confession to the crime, there must be someone who corrupted him. That person, Silvio Berlusconi, is presently above and beyond the law thanks to a law conceived by his shadow Minister of the Justice and head lawyer and member of parliament, Niccolò Ghedini. The law was presented under name of acting Minister of Justice and adulator, Beppe Alfano. Known as the "Lodo Alfano" it gives blanket impunity to the five highest offices in the land.

Once the bill became law, Ghedini presented it during the Mills-Berlusconi trial so as to block the trial. The court ruled then that the issue would be taken to the highest court to judge the constitutionality of the law but in the meantime ruled that the trial would continue without the co-defendant Berlusconi. Mills was ostensibly left to himself. We don't at present know what went on behind the scenes but can make an educated guess based on Berlusconi's past behaviour. Mills nevertheless adopted the usual legal ploys used by the Berlusconi team in similar cases.

Berlusconi then sought to block the trial with another one of his laws which is currently used by most mafia bosses: Accuse the judge of being prejudiced against the defendants.  As the statute of limitations ticks away a trial must be suspended until there's a higher court ruling which, incidentally, almost always throws out the accusation. It needn't matter: what counts is to waste time. In the meantime the Berlusconi media staged a high profile smear campaign against the judge, Nicoletta Gandus, accusing her of being politically motivated.

Beyond the corruption charges it is worth noting that Silvio Berlusconi beat the rap in the All Iberian trial and another trial for bribing Treasury police because Mills made false testimony. Mills has only been condemned for corruption for now.  The trials in which his crucial testimony served are now history. Berlusconi as always was found innocent.