Court rules on Berlusconi, Mills trial judge

An Italian appeals court ruled today against removing the main judge in the trial of former Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi and David Mills, the estranged husband of British Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell, in a setback for the defence, Italian news agencies have reported.

Berlusconi and Mills face charges of false accounting, embezzlement and tax fraud in the purchase by Berlusconi’s Mediaset empire of TV rights for US movies.