Berlusconi faces new fraud charge

Lundi 8 octobre 2007

Berlusconi faces new fraud charge

A Milan prosecutor has laid a new charge of false accounting against ex-Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

Monday’s charge opened a new phase in the long-running battle between the Italian judiciary and Mr Berlusconi.

It prevents the statute of limitations from expiring in a trial over the purchase by Mr Berlusconi’s Mediaset empire of rights to films.

Mr Berlusconi’s lawyer says his client was not involved in company business at the time of the alleged fraud.

The charge, brought by prosecutor Fabio De Pasquale, alleges that Mediaset purchased television rights to American films before 1999 through two « offshore » companies and falsely declared their costs to reduce the tax bill.

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