Berlusconi laughs off tax fraud allegations

ITALIAN prime minister Silvio Berlusconi made a rare appearance in open court but left after two hours, saying the hearing at his tax fraud trial was a waste of time and accused prosecutors of having no case against him.

In court, Berlusconi sat in the front row next to his lawyer, Niccolo Ghedini, while three witnesses provided testimony on the purchase of television rights for Italian TV.

While he did not address the court, Berlusconi made off-the-cuff remarks to reporters before the hearing and during a break. He also stopped outside to thank dozens of supporters and political allies who were cheering beneath half a dozen huge blue balloons that read “Silvio resist”.

“I’ve spent a surreal morning, a paradoxical waste of time and a waste of resources,” Berlusconi told reporters before leaving. “There is no proof, no documents, no testimony, no money trail that supports the prosecutors’ thesis.”

The Italian leader said magistrates, who he has long contended are politically driven and want to oust him from power, “do not work for the country but against the country”.

He declared he will appear in the Milan tribunal as frequently as duties allow to contest four active court cases against him.

Speaking to reporters before the hearing, he was in combative mood. “These charges are laughable, unfounded and demented”, he said and are the “the invention of the public prosecutor”.

Prosecutors say Berlusconi’s Mediaset media empire purchased TV rights for US movies through two offshore companies and falsely declared the costs to reduce its tax bill.

Along with Berlusconi, 10 others are charged in the case, including Mediaset chairman Fedele Confalonieri and movie producer Frank Agrama.

The hearing continued in the afternoon, but without Berlusconi.

He attended a closed-door preliminary hearing on March 28 in another alleged tax fraud case also involving the purchase of TV rights to broadcast American films on his private network, relating to a more recent time frame than the Mediaset case.

The last time Berlusconi showed up in open court for a trial was eight years ago.

He has been tried many times, mostly in relation to his business dealings. He has always either been acquitted or seen the statute of limitations expire.

Last week he skipped the opening of his separate trial in Milan for allegedly paying for sex with an underage prostitute and using his influence to cover it up.

Berlusconi dismissed the possibility of a conviction in any of the four cases he’s facing, saying: “Not in your wildest dreams.”