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The Court of Milan put an end this Wednesday, February 15, to nearly 6 years of trial against Silvio Berlusconi. The politician was acquitted after being accused of bribing witnesses to lie about his “bunga-bunga” parties, in which he is also accused of having had sexual relations with minors. The tycoon denounced “incalculable political damages” for the years of trial.
Former Italian head of government Silvio Berlusconi was acquitted in a corruption case this Wednesday, February 15, by the Court of Milan. The Prosecutor’s Office had requested six years in prison for the senator accused of witness tampering and false testimony.
“I have finally been acquitted after 11 years of suffering, slander and incalculable political damage,” he said in a statement posted on his social networks.
“This is because I have been lucky enough to be tried by magistrates who have known how to remain independent, impartial and correct in the face of the unfounded accusations attributed to me,” he added.
Finally, assolto dopo oltre 11 anni di sofferenze, di fango e di danni politici incalcolabili perché ho avuto la fortuna di essere giudicato da Magistrati che hanno saputo mantensi indipendenti, imparziali e corretti di fronte alle accuse informate che mi erano state rivolte. pic.twitter.com/LKp2vAHpzn
— Silvio Berlusconi (@berlusconi) February 15, 2023
“I am very satisfied,” Federico Cecconi, Berlusconi’s lawyer, told the press after the judges’ decision.
“Three out of three is enough,” he added, referring to the fact that the acquittal was the third in the case. In separate parts of the trial, Berlusconi was acquitted of witness tampering in 2021 in Siena and in 2022 in Rome. The other 27 defendants in the case were all acquitted.
The head of the Government, Giorgia Meloni, also reacted positively to the news.
“It is excellent news that puts an end to a long judicial process that has also had important repercussions on Italian political and institutional life,” he declared.
“I am glad that Silvio has been acquitted after years of suffering, insults and useless controversies,” reacted Matteo Salvini, one of the two deputy prime ministers and leader of the anti-immigrant League.
years of trial
The story began in 2010 when the 86-year-old billionaire was accused of abuse of power for protecting a young Moroccan disco dancer, Karima El-Mahroug. The girl had been arrested for stealing, but Berlusconi intervened so that she was released.
The following year, Berlusconi was accused of paying the young woman, then 17, for having sex. According to the accusation, Berlusconi would have paid Karima El-Mahroug, who participated in many of the politician’s famous parties, cash, gifts and cars, among other things.
He was sentenced to seven years in prison in 2013 for the crimes of abuse of power and incitement to the prostitution of minors, before being acquitted in 2015 by the Court of Cassation in this case.
In 2017, the magistrates opened another investigation, on suspicion that the billionaire had paid many people, musicians and women, for their silence in the previous trial.
However, according to Berlusconi’s lawyers, he was tried “for the crime of generosity” since the money was compensation for the damage to the reputation of those involved in the affair, the lawyers said.
In her closing statement in May, prosecutor Tiziana Siciliano had described Berlusconi as “a sultan” who used to “enliven his parties with a group of concubines, in the sense of sex slaves, who entertained him for payment.”
But this Wednesday, Berlusconi was finally acquitted for this case.
“I was so scared, now I’m starting to live again,” Ruby commented on the verdict.
The billionaire, who is slowly moving away from Italian politics, has been a defendant in multiple lawsuits in recent years, winning most of them.
Berlusconi is a close friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Last Thursday, when asked about the meeting between the Ukrainian president and Mrs. Meloni, he stated: “Me talking to Zelensky? If I had been president of the Council, I would never have gone there.”
With EFE and AFP
