Italian court drops Silvio Berlusconi from tax fraud case

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REPORTING FROM LONDON -- After narrowly winning a recent vote of confidence vote in Parliament, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi won another reprieve Tuesday when a court in Milan threw out a tax fraud case against him.

Presiding Judge Maria Grazia Vicidomini ruled that Berlusconi did not commit any offense in connection with charges filed against the Berlusconi-owned media company Mediaset.

However, the judge indicted 10 other defendants -- including Pier Silvio Berlusconi, the prime minister’s son, and Fedele Confalonieri, the company’s president -- who will face trial Dec. 22. They are accused of paying inflated prices for TV programs purchased from U.S. companies by Mediaset and subsequently committing tax fraud and embezzlement.

‘Evidently the judge maintained that Berlusconi had no part ... in the affair,’ said defense attorney Niccolo Ghedini.

‘This is not a victory but a just decision of a judge who listened,’ he said, adding that the decision could affect another trial the prime minister faces regarding Mediaset TV rights

The beleaguered Berlusconi, who last week survived the latest of more than 50 confidence votes in Parliament since his reelection in 2008, also faces three other trials involving charges of tax fraud, abuse of power and underage prostitution.

Known for his fondness for female company and ‘bunga bunga’ parties involving teenage models and wannabe actresses, the 75-year-old prime minister is accused of trying to deflect police in 2010 from investigating a theft case involving an underage Moroccan dancer named Karima el Mahroug who attended a party in his luxury villa near Milan.

Berlusconi has always maintained his innocence on all charges, and on several occasions accused the Italian judiciary of being infiltrated by his leftist political opponents.

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-- Janet Stobart