| Ugliness All Round |
23 June 2003
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Berlusconi Prosecution Foiled by Abuse of Power
When most people are on trial for bribery, a vigorous defense is offered or a plea bargan arranged. In the case of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, it was easier just to have parliament vote immunity. If one listens carefully, one can hear the ghost of Richard Nixon applauding in admiration.
In words reminiscent of the Clintons, Mr. Berlusconi maintains that a vast left-wing conspiracy in the judiciary has kept his trial going for years in an effort to undo the elections that made him Prime Minister of Italy. The prosecutors maintain he bribed judges to influence the privatization process of food conglomerate SME in 1985.
The law, rammed through the legislature in a mere 3-weeks, provides immunity from prosecution for the prime minister, the head of state, the heads of both chambers of parliament and the boss of the constitutional court. Oddly, only Mr. Berlusconi was on trial at the time. Stranger still, Italy takes over the EU presidency on July 1, and it might have looked odd to have the EU president on trial for bribery.
The cherry on top is that fact that the statute of limitations will have run out should Mr. Berlusconi finish his term of office. In America, a similar situation was resolved when President Ford pardoned former-President Nixon, and paid for it on election day. In Italy, there will be no voter retribution for this abuse of power because the shame is spread too far and too wide.