Berlusconi Resigning

[Fake Boris]

ah ah Imran is t3h d00ble p3n3tr@ti0n

[Bereta_Eder]

Tried for corruption charges IIRC.

[Winston]

To me he's sort of like the Bob Hope of politics. I hope he stays on and continues to entertain me till he's 100.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Originally posted by paiktis22
Tried for corruption charges IIRC.

It's Italian politics for God's sake! Corruption is a time honored part of the political process!

[Bereta_Eder]

Well imagine then if he's actually tried for that, imagine what he has done

[Imran Siddiqui]

Naw, probably just politically motivated. Then again, that (politically motivated investigations) is part of Italian politics as well .

[Admiral]

The problem is that Berlusconi has turned his back on old school corruption and welcomed in the twenty-first century corruption. Also, he rewrote the laws such that he can own almost all of the media networks in the country, which, for me, is the most worrisome. And yes, his was the longest government since WWII. However, the system was designed to have a weak government, to avoid any chance of a Mussolini from taking over again, and in that context, the longevity of the government is problematic.

[Odin]

Great, Italy can finally go back to having a new governmnent every other week.

[Lawrence of Arabia]

it has to do with the sale of SME, a state owned italian agricultural company. It was supposed to be sold to Carlo de Benedetti, but it didnt work. Investigators found payments by All Iberian to a Mr. Squillantte, owner of a panamian company, through the roundabout ways (including several stops in swiss bank accounts in Geneva.)

Berlusconi and Previti (in whos bank account that money, around $400,000 USD stayed for one day) were charged with bribery of Squillante, and Verde, both magistrates in the Italian justice system, who then ruled against the acquisition of SME by Beneditti.

Previt, Pacifco (another guy), and Squillante were sentenced to 11 years in jail. Berlusconi was tried separately because he was at the time prime minister, and at the same time, he was the prosecutor AND the defendant (civil co-plaintiff, because of govt position, and defendant as the individual. go figure.) The state's attourney general told the court that the defendant (berlusconi) owed the co-plaintiff (ALSO berlusconi) the sum of 1 million euros for damages, because of 'damages incurred to the prime ministers image due to the affaire' this started in 1985. the payments occured in 1991, the ivnestigation started in 1994, they were charged in 1999 (when he was PM) and these people were sentenced in 2003.

Then there was the business of TV. Berlusconi's company's main profits came from TV at the time, wher ehe had a near monopoly. At the time, national TV was nationalized, and private companies could only operate locally. Berlusconi got around this by buying all the rights to american movies/soaps, shows etc, and then selling them to local television companies, and then making them broadcast them all at the same time. In 1984, the itlian courts shut down three stations because this was against the law, in a roundabout way of course.

The head of the sociast ruling party at the time, Bettino Craxi, intervened on berlusconis behalf, and got the rulings overturned.

so, to prevent him, the individual from being persectued, he rammed through a bill which prevents the state from taking judicial action against him.

[Lancer]

Do the trains run on time these days? I bet they do...

[Admiral]

Originally posted by Lancer
Do the trains run on time these days? I bet they do...

Ironically, my experience is that trains are the most reliable form of transportation in Italy. But what do I know.

[Lancer]

I'm sure you're familiar with the saying about el Duce. He was a dictator but at least he made the trains run on time...

Not that Burluwhatever is a dictator, I really don't nhow enough either way.