Milan court hears request to charge Berlusconi with fraud
A judge was conducting a closed-door hearing in Milan today on a request by prosecutors to indict Premier Silvio Berlusconi on charges of false accounting, tax fraud and embezzlement.
One of Berlusconi’s lawyers, Nicolo Ghedini, said no decision by the judge was expected to be made today in the preliminary hearing.
Berlusconi has denied the accusations, which stem from a four-year probe of the purchase of TV rights by his media empire.
Prosecutors in April formally asked that trial be ordered for Berlusconi. They have alleged that Berlusconi-owned broadcaster Mediaset purchased TV rights for US movies before 1999 through two offshore companies and falsely declared the purchase costs to Italian tax authorities to lower the tax bill.
Indictment has also been sought in the case for 12 others.
The case is one of several probes against the billionaire business magnate. In several cases, Berlusconi has been either acquitted or the charges have been dropped because the statute of limitations expired.
