Silvio Berlusconi is never happy with anything

Thursday, 22 September 2011. Silvio Berlusconi is enraged by the fact that only a narrow victory in vote saves his ally from jail.

Marco Mario Milanese

Here's the story.

Marco Milanese, lawyer, member of Italian parliament (his party is the PdL – People of Freedom) ally of the Italian prime minister and right arm of Giulio Tremonti (current Italian Minister of Economy and Finance), is accused of corruption, passing on state secrets, interference with appointments within Italy’s law enforcement agency (Guardia di Finanza).

He allegedly accepted inappropriately gifts including a Ferrari sports car, a 15-meter-long boat, free-of-charge travel and accommodation.

And he’s also suspected of being involved in the secret P4 corruption network (here's the Italian Wikipedia page about it).

Silvio Berlusconi and his good ally (so far) Umberto Bossi

That's why prosecutors would like to see him behind bars ans seek his arrest.

But he's a member of parliament, so it's path to jail can be hindered by his fellow politicians, who were asked to vote for or against his arrest. Similarly, in July the parliament voted in favour of the arrest of another PdL MP – Alfonso Papa –, with the result that today he is in jail at the Poggioreale detention centre in Naples.

But this time it had to be different. President Silvio Berlusconi pestered Umberto Bossi, in order to obtain Northern League votes against the arrest of his ally Milanese (note: the NL votes gave way to Papa's arrest back in July).

But the Italian president is still unhappy, or – to better say – angry, as a video taken in the Italian parliament can testify: he was expecting much more members of the parliament (not only 7 more than the opposition!) to fight in order to keep Milanese (and the like) away from the strong arm of justice.

Berlusconi showing (Defence Minister) La Russa his discomfort