Italy's Berlusconi sex trial gets underway

ROME, April 5 (Xinhua) -- The trial over Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's sex scandal will begin Wednesday, but a top aide said Berlusconi would not appear in court.

Nor will television cameras, as Italian Attorney General Laura Bertole Viale and State Prosecutor Manilio Minale agreed to reverse a previous ruling that would have allowed state broadcaster RAI to film the trial. They said the ruling was changed to prevent the hearing from becoming a "circus."

But it seems impossible to prevent that. Protesters and supporters have both said they would gather in front of the Milan courthouse, where the trial will start at 9:30 a.m. (0730 GMT) Wednesday.

Hundreds of journalists have been reporting on every micro development from the case ever since it was announced in February. And the witness list includes American movie star George Clooney and his showgirl girlfriend, Elisabetta Canalis.

Berlusconi is charged with paying for sex with a minor, a then-17-year-old cabaret dancer called Karima el-Mahroug, known by her nickname "Ruby the Heart Stealer."

The leader is also charged with abusing his position as prime minister to cover up his connection with el-Mahroug by pressuring police to release her from custody after she was detained over separate theft allegations.

The trial seems to be a kind of drama compared to the two other Berlusconi trials, where he faces much more technical charges including tax evasion and bribery.

According to Cabinet Undersecretary Gianni Letta, Berlusconi's closest aide, the prime minister will not be present for Wednesday's opening hearing, which is expected to focus mostly on procedural matters.

There is a chance that the trial could be aborted before it really gets under way. Italian lawmakers started debate Tuesday on a measure that could slow or even halt the proceedings.

They will decide whether the Milan court is the appropriate venue for the hearing, with Berlusconi's lawyers arguing that he should be tried before a special minister's tribunal given that the abuse of power charges relate to Berlusconi's position as prime minister.

However, the Constitutional Court ruled in March that the Milan court had the authority to handle the case.

But if parliament contradicts that ruling, the Constitutional Court would be forced to rule again and confirm the tribunal members.

Regardless of the parliamentary vote, Wednesday's hearing will take place. But if legislators vote against the court's authority, it means the trial could be halted in the future.

Berlusconi, a billionaire media tycoon who controls three of Italy's seven national television networks, denied wrongdoing in the case involving el-Mahroug as well as the others and insisted that he is a victim of the corrupt Italian judiciary.

As the cases approached, his ruling coalition fractured and his popularity dropped to nearly a historical low, but at least so far, his grip on power does not seem at risk.

Since he entered public life in 1994, Berlusconi has faced at least 17 official criminal and civil allegations.


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Berlusconi narrowly wins confidence vote

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi survived an important vote of no confidence by the narrowest of margins Tuesday but emerged with a severely weakened mandate that has thrown doubt on his ability to govern effectively.

The 314-311 vote in the lower house of Parliament was a fresh demonstration of the billionaire politician's Houdini-like knack for escape. Although Berlusconi had insisted that he would prevail, the outcome was on a knife edge going in to the vote, even after days of intense behind-the-scenes negotiations.

But the wafer-thin victory suggests it will be difficult for him to pass legislation or enact his center-right agenda, prolonging the sense of political paralysis gripping Italy. For months, Berlusconi has been battling corruption probes into his business dealings and a series of scandals surrounding his private life, including allegations that he threw lavish parties attended by prostitutes.

His polarizing influence was on display Tuesday both inside and outside Parliament, where he faced confidence votes in the Senate and, more important, in the sharply divided lower house.

On the streets of Rome, anti-Berlusconi protesters torched cars and smashed shop windows, clashing with police in riot gear, who fired tear gas at the crowds. Dozens of officers were reported injured.

Large demonstrations also were reported in other parts of the country, including the cities of Palermo and Turin.

Inside the Chamber of Deputies, a scuffle between lawmakers broke out when one legislator, who had been expected to vote against Berlusconi, changed her mind and supported him instead.

When the final tally was announced, the prime minister's allies erupted in cheers, while his opponents sat stony faced or filed quickly out of the chamber.

In a debate before the vote, Pierluigi Bersani, the leader of the center-left Democratic Party, blamed Berlusconi for perpetuating Italy's political woes. Even if Berlusconi defeated the censure motion, Bersani said, it would be "a Pyrrhic victory" because his government would remain unstable.

But on Monday, the embattled premier staunchly defended his record in speeches before both houses of Parliament, and warned that jettisoning him would be an act of madness at a time of extreme economic delicacy because of the crisis over the euro.

Berlusconi also extended an olive branch to some of his political foes, suggesting that he would re-formulate his government to include them and their views.

Still, international markets have shown increasing concern over Italy's political situation and its ability to tackle the government's budget deficit and one of the biggest burdens of public debt in Europe. Borrowing costs for Rome have lately hit alarmingly high levels, and investors are now left to wonder whether Berlusconi will be able to push through the structural changes the Italian economy needs to become more competitive.

Earlier Tuesday, in the first of the two confidence motions in Parliament, the Senate reaffirmed its support of Berlusconi by a comfortable margin. That was expected, because his ruling coalition commands a safe majority in the upper chamber.

But in the lower house, the outcome of the second motion was so unpredictable that vote counters found themselves scrutinizing the health of three pregnant lawmakers, who had vowed to vote against Berlusconi but who were at risk of going into labor at any moment. The absence of any one of them could possibly tip the scales.

In the end, all three women managed to show up in Parliament, though one had to arrive in an ambulance and another was confined to a wheelchair. Their allies cheered as they cast their votes against the prime minister.

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