Mills and Burlusconi to stand trial

Former Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi and the estranged husband of British Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell, David Mills, were today ordered to stand trial on charges of false accounting, embezzlement and tax fraud in the purchase of TV rights for US movies, his lawyer said.

Mediaset chairman Fedele Confalonieri was also indicted in the case during the preliminary hearing, Berlusconi lawyer Nicolo Ghedini said.

They were among 12 people ordered to stand trial on November 21 on charges including tax fraud and embezzlement, Italian news agencies reported.

All have denied wrongdoing.

Two directors from Berlusconi’s holding company Fininvest were not prosecuted because of the statute of limitations, ANSA reported.

Prosecutors allege that Berlusconi’s Mediaset purchased TV rights for US movies before 1999 through two offshore companies and falsely declared the costs to lower the tax bill.

Ghedini complained that the judge did not permit the defence to present witnesses during the preliminary hearing who could have demonstrated that Berlusconi was not involved in the events in question.

In a related case, Milan prosecutors have accused Berlusconi of paying Mills £325,000 (€469,000) for not revealing details of his media empire when Mills testified in two court cases.