Feb 15th 2011, 15:24 by J.H. | ROME
EARLIER today a judge in Milan, Cristina Di Censo, indicted Italy’s prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, on charges relating to his alleged use of prostitutes. She said he should be tried for paying an underage prostitute and then attempting to cover up the alleged offence by taking advantage of his official position, which is itself an offence in Italy.
But Ms Di Censo did more than just indict Mr Berlusconi. She accepted, in full, arguments put forward by the prosecution that have potentially devastating implications for Mr Berlusconi (who denies any wrongdoing). First, she agreed with them that, because of “the obviousness of the evidence” they had gathered against him, he should be put on trial without a preliminary hearing. The full trial is due to begin on April 6th, and by a twist of fate (or, as Mr Berlusconi’s followers will no doubt contend, malevolent design) all three judges at the trial will be women.
That development seemed particularly resonant against a background of protests by Italian women against Mr Berlusconi and the entrenched machismo his female critics see him as representing. On Sunday, several hundreds of thousands took to piazzas around Italy to demonstrate “for a country that respects women”.
Their protest was the latest challenge to a prime minister whose personal popularity has fallen significantly since the scandal broke last October. Mr Berlusconi also faces daily problems attempting to get legislation through parliament following a walk-out by some of his followers last year.
But his party’s poll ratings have so far held up well, and he continues to enjoy the decisive support of Umberto Bossi’s Northern League, his party's coalition partner. What remains to be seen is whether that backing will survive the remarkable, if not unique, spectacle of a serving prime minister on trial for a sex offence.
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Almost 800 pages of evidence compiled by the prosecutors depict Mr Berlusconi giving parties at his mansion near Milan for scores of women, in which showgirls rubbed shoulders with self-acknowledged prostitutes. The prosecutors claim that among the prime minister’s guests was a 17-year-old Moroccan runaway-turned-nightclub dancer, Karima el-Mahroug, who adopted the nickname “Ruby Heartstealer”. Documents leaked from the investigation show they have her own word for it that she received a payment from Mr Berlusconi for several thousand euros. Both the prime minister and the girl say it was a gift.
Paying anyone younger than 18 for any kind of sexual service is a crime in Italian law, punishable by up to three years in jail. Mr Berlusconi's lawyers have signalled that they intend to argue Ms el-Mahroug is older than indicated on official documents. But by agreeing to an indictment, Ms Di Censo implicitly dismissed that contention.
She also explicitly rejected the defence lawyers’ view that Milan’s prosecutors did not have the right to investigate the case. They had noted that Mr Berlusconi’s mansion is outside the city’s jurisdictional boundaries, and argue that the prosecutors ought anyway to have referred the case to a special court that tries ministers.
The second charge against Mr Berlusconi—and the more serious one, since it carries a maximum sentence of 12 years—relates to events on the night of May 27th-28th last year. Ms el-Mahroug, who had several times escaped from care homes, was taken to a Milan police station accused of theft. But instead of being returned to care, she was handed over to a member of Mr Berlusconi's party: a former showgirl who became his dental hygienist and is now a regional parliamentarian. She is herself under investigation, along with two other close associates of the prime minister, officially suspected of aiding and abetting prostitution.
The young Moroccan was handed over after the police received a call from Mr Berlusconi, in which he claimed Ms el-Mahroug was the granddaughter of Egypt’s ousted president, Hosni Mubarak.
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I am tired of waiting for a jaded population, a cowardly president (of the republic), a corrupt opposition, an inefficient and arrogant judiciary, an impotent press, a stymied police force, a ghettoised central bank, an obedient (but furious) military, a female culture of fascism, an apolitical economic elite, an amoral Europe and an imperial America to remove this universal embarrassment.
My comment, in English, goes directly to the Vatican:
Dear Pope Benedict, Dear Cardinal Bagnasco,
Even if foreigners do not, the entire country knows the Curia created, abetted and constantly rescued this phenomenon.
When is it enough? How low does this man have to sink, how low does Italy have to sink before you decide to pull the plug?
Interestingly enough, the lightest of crimes he's been accused of during his career might actually put him down this time.
It reminds me of someone.
How now?
He could always quit politics and co-host a show on cable like we have here in America on CNN. The problem would be finding a suitable Italian version of a political whore like Kathleen Parker.
Alas
They have tried to pull and it is constantly being pulled perhaps it needs to be pulled by Italian women… the plug I hasten to add… ;0]
A prison sentence for the abuse of power explicit in the cover up?
A sentence handed down by 3 female judges?
It would be a fitting and end to the Berlusconi era...
But what are the chances?...
Anyone fancy offering the odds?
A prison sentence for the abuse of power explicit in the cover up?
A sentence handed down by 3 female judges?
It would be a fitting and end to the Berlusconi era...
But what are the chances?...
Anyone fancy offering the odds?
As the Mediterranean color revolutions continue...
US-UK wants Italian Pres Napolitano (Communist) to oust Berlusconi in violation of constitution -like von Hindenburg in 1930s Weimar Germany.
skarsaw wrote:
"Interestingly enough, the lightest of crimes he's been accused of during his career might actually put him down this time.
"It reminds me of someone."
Julian Assange?
Shame on the extraparl faction (leftogarch judges) who use Jacobin-Puritan rhetoric for republic of virtue: "soft coup in the making."
Chemtrails has better intelligence than I about the wishes of the US and the UK vis a vis Messrs Berlusconi and Napolitano. All I would say is that the powers vested in the President of the Italian Republic are vastly inferior to those exercisable by the President of the Weimar Republic. One hopes that American and British diplomats would have advised their governments of that fact to save them wasting time hoping that Mr Napolitano was going to be able to relieve Italy of its long-standing embarrassment.
JoeSolaris said: " ... jaded population, a cowardly president ..., a corrupt opposition, an inefficient and arrogant judiciary, an impotent press, a stymied police force, a ghettoised central bank, an obedient (but furious) military ..., an apolitical economic elite, an amoral Europe ... remove this universal embarrassment."
One of the best posts in this Berlusconi saga.
To be sure, Mr Berlusconi will go sooner or later, maybe sooner, but in either case, jaded and apolitical, I do not expect anything that really matters to change.
Tunisia, Egypt, Italy?
Silvio has the ego of Mussolini and is a shame to Italy. It's as simple as that.
Would this really be the end for the political career of this clown ?
A clown who puts his country to shame and, worse, puts Europe to shame ? The comments of JoeSolaris put it eminently: no use waiting for the corrupt, impotent, immoral lot who are behind this universal embarrassment, including the vatican. As a former teacher of mine put it once: "nothing beats the stupidity of mankind (in this case italian mankind) to get a feel for the concept of infinity".
Here's what the United States' Department of State had to say about Mr. Berlusconi back in 2009:
http://viableopposition.blogspot.com/2010/12/wikileaks-prime-minister-be...
Apparently, his lifestyle caught up to him and he was forced to have a power nap during a meeting with the United States Ambassador.
This guy needs to be forced out of office and this is a step in the right direction
The present charges against Mr. B. confirm that he is a big anomalism in italian political picture . Should 50% of the charges against him be verified and confirmed he should resign ,na way.
Considering ,however , the outstanding amount of charges against him from the moment he decided to enter the political arena, practically hundreds of charges of breaking the low in every possibly fields, we can at least suspect that we have, here in Italy , another anomalism: one part of the judiciary system is politically oriented and is using its power to fight a political opponent.
When Mr. B resignn the first anomalism will be over while the second anomaslism will persist . With this second anomalism our democracy will continue to be an incomplete democracy.
Regards
The Cavaliere is slowly faltering from his golden horse ... Many times before, his cronies and devoted stalwarts caught him before he could hit the floor ... but today, I hope nobody would do so ... just leave him flicker and fall harder, so that he'll smash his head against the floor. Only a good whack can make him understand his repeated and obscene faults.
Italy needs a complete overhaul of the governing administration. It stinks mafia and mob so blantantly over there ... I'm almost nauseating
Being an Italian, who also voted for him in the past, I can say Berlusconi is the greatest danger for Western democracies and Italy in particular. His connections with Mafia, his ill conception of power, his devastating conflict of interests and his servants are just a few reasons to hope he will go to prison in a little time. And who votes for him, as I did in the past, is just a friend of crime.
You'd thought this close to the Holy See, Berlusconi would be forever standing on the moral high ground.
The Holiness has been busy lecturing the poor in the third-world not to engage in intercourse, or NOT to wear condoms when they do. If only he had done the same for the first-world president that is the closest to him......
Berlusconi is Italian for "Murdoch," no?