ITALY: Lower house decides not to allow magistrates search Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's accountant's offices over prostitution scandal

Record ID: 328946

  • Title: ITALY: Lower house decides not to allow magistrates search Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's accountant's offices over prostitution scandal
  • Date: 4th February 2011
  • Summary: ROME, ITALY (FEBRUARY 3, 2011) (REUTERS) MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT SEATED INSIDE LOWER HOUSE SPEAKER OF THE LOWER HOUSE GIANFRANCO FINI SEATED MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT SEATED MINISTER OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PAOLO ROMANI AND FOREIGN MINISTER FRANCO FRATTINI SEATED EDUCATION MINISTER MARIASTELLA GELMINI AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES MINISTER MARA CARFAGNA PRESIDENT OF THE OPPOSITION DEMOCRATIC PARTY ROSY BINDI SHOWING WHITE SCARF AND SHOUTING FEMALE MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT WAVING WHITE SCARF FEMALE MEMBERS OF DEMOCRATIC PARTY WEARING WHITE SCARVES ELECTRONIC BOARD SHOWING VOTING IN PROGRESS ELECTRONIC BOARD SHOWING VOTE RESULTS MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT APPLAUDING, CHEERING AND EXPRESSING OPPOSITION EXTERIOR OF PARLIAMENT NORTHERN LEAGUE LEADER UMBERTO BOSSI STANDING OUTSIDE PARLIAMENT GUARDS AT PARLIAMENT ENTRANCE (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) MEMBER OF BERLUSCONI'S PEOPLE OF FREEDOM PARTY MARIO LANDOLFI, SAYING "The lower house has expressed its view on this issue and we think the appropriate judges of Berlusconi are not the Milan prosecutors but the tribunal of ministers which is a real court formed of magistrates and therefore not by fellow members of parliament who pretend to be judges." FINI-LOYALIST ANDREA RONCHI LEAVING AND SAYING "I'M NOT GOING TO SPEAK, I'M NOT GOING TO SPEAK, THANK YOU" ENTRANCE TO PARLIAMENT (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) MINISTER OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PAOLO ROMANI SAYING "It's yet another parliamentary vote in favour of this government, we had ones in September, December and January and now, today. I have the feeling that every time our votes increase, don't you?" MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) MEMBER OF OPPOSITION PARTY ITALY OF VALUES LEOLUCA ORLANDO, SAYING "We have a prime minister who instead of defending himself in front of magistrates, lets the parliamentary majority protect him from trials. It's shameful. It's called dictatorship. Yes, I think we are faced with a character who is more similar to Ben Ali and Hitler than to Merkel or Sarkozy." EXTERIOR OF PARLIAMENT DEMONSTRATORS AROUND BANNER READING "RESIGN" DEMONSTRATORS WITH BERLUSCONI MASKS HOLDING POSTER READING "YOUR MYTH IS RUBY, OURS IS ILDA" (MILAN PROSECUTOR ILDA BOCCASSINI) (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) PROTESTER FABRIZIO SAYING "We are furious because this yet again shows that all citizens are not equal in front of the law. Yet again our constitution has been violated and yet another time our prime minister will not have the courage to let a court judge him." PROTESTERS OUTSIDE OF PARLIAMENT
  • Embargoed: 19th February 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Italy, Italy
  • Country: Italy
  • Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement,Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAF23JQXN59JUQYMTE30K4TVKO7
  • Story Text: The Italian parliament voted on Thursday (February 3) not to allow the offices of Silvio Berlusconi's accountant to be searched over suspected connections with the prostitution scandal that has hit the prime minister.
    The lower house vote followed a request by Milan prosecutors investigating allegations that Berlusconi paid for sex with a teenaged girl who was below the legal age for prostitution of 18.
    Berlusconi denies the accusations and has resisted calls to resign over the scandal that has dominated headlines and made a household name of "Ruby", the teenage nightclub dancer at the centre of the case.
    Berlusconi's accountant, Giuseppe Spinelli, is suspected of handling payments to the varied cast of young women who prosecutors say received bundles of cash and jewellery and, in some cases, free housing from the billionaire media entrepreneur.
    Pro-Berlusconi politicians leaving the lower house said the vote result proved the scandal had not weakened the government's hold on parliament.
    "The lower house has expressed its view on this issue and we think the appropriate judges of Berlusconi are not the Milan prosecutors but the tribunal of ministers which is a real court formed of magistrates and therefore not by fellow members of parliament who pretend to be judges," member of Berlusconi's People of Freedom party, Mario Landolfi said.
    "It's yet another parliamentary vote in favour of this government, we had ones in September, December and January and now, today. I have the feeling that every time that our votes increase, don't you?" Minister of Economic Development Paolo Romani added.
    Berlusconi already faces two trials over tax fraud allegations in coming weeks in addition to the prostitution scandal, which prosecutors are also seeking to bring to court.
    "We have a prime minister who instead of defending himself in front of magistrates, lets the parliamentary majority protect him from trials. It's shameful. It's called dictatorship. Yes, I think we are faced with a character who is more similar to Ben Ali and Hitler than to Merkel or Sarkozy," anti-Berlusconi politician Leoluca Orlando told reporters outside the parliament as Fini-loyalist Andrea Ronchi rushed past reporters saying he didn't wish to comment on the vote results.
    A small group of protesters had gathered outside the parliament, carrying banners calling on the prime minister to resign.
    "We are furious because this yet again shows that all citizens are not equal in front of the law. Yet again our constitution has been violated and yet another time our prime minister will not have the courage to let a court judge him," protester Fabrizio said.
    Earlier on Thursday an Italian parliamentary committee delivered another blow to the embattled prime minister by blocking a tax measure his Northern League allies had laid down as a condition for staying in government.
    The 30-member panel, which had to rule on measures to give more tax and spending powers to local governments, was split evenly, creating a stalemate that could open the way to a breakdown of the centre-right coalition and early elections.
    Ever since Berlusconi's former ally Gianfranco Fini split from the ruling PDL party in July, the League has held the fate of the government in its hands and its importance has only risen after the sex scandal that has engulfed the 74-year-old premier.
    The scandal has largely prevented Berlusconi winning back control of the political agenda since he scraped through a no-confidence vote on December 14.
    He has promised a programme to cut red tape and boost growth but details are sketchy and the federalism plan was seen as a test of the government's ability to reach its policy goals.
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