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Silvio Berlusconi's dinner date with judges who will decide his fate
3 Jul 2009Silvio Berlusconi faces further controversy for dining with two judges who are to rule whether he
should be free from prosecution while in office.
The Italian prime minister, 72, has been hit by a series of sleaze and sex allegations in the past two months but has escaped serious fall-out.
But opposition parties immediately denounced the dinner date and asked for a statement to be made to parliament.
Mr Berlusconi, his right-hand man Gianni Letta, justice minister Angelino Alfano and judge Paolo Maria Napolitano had dinner at the house of another judge, Luigi Mazzella.
Judge Mazzella dismissed claims of favouritism in an open letter and said he would “invite Berlusconi again”.
Judges Mazzella and Napolitano are members of the Italian constitutional court and must decide in October on the legality of a law granting immunity to the prime minister and other important political figures.
Mr Berlusconi pushed through the Alfano Law last year while he was on trial in Milan for corruption but the case was suspended pending the
constitutional court's decision.
In his letter, Judge Mazzella said: “Dear president, dear Silvio, you are an old friend and this will certainly not be the last dinner we have together — unless some totalitarian regime strips us of our personal liberty.”
Anti-sleaze MP Antonio Di Pietro, from the Italy of Values party, said: “We will never know if the decision of the constitutional court was the
fruit of a total independent evaluation or was rather the fruit of a carbonara dinner.”
His party also demanded the two judges and Mr
Alfano's resignation.
Mr Berlusconi — a billionaire media tycoon who owns TV stations, newspapers and publishing companies — has been the subject of several
sleaze court cases.
His wife Veronica Lario, 52, is divorcing him for “frequenting minors” after he attended model
Noemi Letizia's 18th birthday party.
