Silvio Berlusconi found guilty of tax fraud
An Italian court has sentenced Silvio Berlusconi to four years in jail for tax fraud in connection with the purchase of broadcasting rights by his Mediaset television company…
The court also ordered damages provisionally set at €10 million to be paid by Berlusconi and his co-defendants to tax authorities…
A separate trial over accusations that Berlusconi paid for sex with an underage prostitute is currently being heard in Milan. He denies all charges against him.
The four-time prime minister and other Mediaset executives stood accused of inflating the price paid for TV rights via offshore companies controlled by Berlusconi, and skimming off part of the money to create illegal slush funds.
One of the world’s leading examples of just how sleazy and low a politician can get – Berlusconi gets a couple of automatic chances at appeals plus the array of craptastic lawyers he keeps on retainer will do their usual job of delay, diffuse and deny while trying to get sentences overturned and reduced.
Poisonally, I think they should throw away the key.
Holler at your Congress-critter to support Bernie Sanders' bill to 
Hi Ed , as you rigthly treat the Berlusconi’s saga of numerous trials, I wrote about the US social and economical crise which is very divisive and will represent a great problem no matter who will win the elections. Ed , the problem for italians is not Berlusconi any more, but the berlusconism, a certain idea of getting into policy to make money and where grid and power do the rest.
exult49
October 26, 2012 at 4:37 pm
That sickness is so common in the US it infects even small-time local politicians.
There is enough money rolled automatically into politics that someone who keeps running for office even lower down than state wide – can make a decent living from the donations. There is little or nothing done about accounting for how money is spent after a campaign is over.
The money belongs to the politician.
eideard
October 26, 2012 at 10:42 pm
Unfortunately it seems that the democracy’s concept itself is seriously at risk………..In spite of the whole media system , or perhaps just becuse of it , people does ignore the reality of the world in which live in…….
exult49
October 27, 2012 at 8:21 am