General

Berlusconi loses immunity

The Italian prime minister is once again facing multiple criminal trials

In the midst of an ever-growing sex scandal involving Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, Italy’s constitutional court dealt the billionaire politician a blow when it rejected his “first above equals” idea and ruled that a law granting the PM immunity from prosecution while he was in office is unconstitutional. At the moment, there are two court cases that could spell the end of his troubled political career: in one, Berlusconi is alleged to have paid British lawyer David Mills to keep quiet about offshore activities while the other is a tax fraud case involving Berlusconi’s massive media empire. However, even as the cases go forward, Berlusconi is likely to push through a new immunity law to stop the clock once again.

Der Spiegel

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