When 500m euro you have to pay, that's not exactly the best way to start the day

Tuesday, 17 September 2013. On the eve of a vote over Silvio Berlusconi's eviction from the Senate of Italy, the Supreme court confirms his family's company has to pay over 500m euro in damages to media rival CIR, owned by De Benedetti family.

Silvio Berlusconi: seeing it coming?

Italy Supreme Court's ruling hasn't been very favourable to Silvio Berlusconi recently, after upholding accusations of tax fraud in the beginning of August, yesterday the Corte Suprema di Cassazione (this is the official name of the court of last resort in Italy) ruled that Berlusconi family’s Fininvest holding company had wrongfully gained control of Mondadori publishing house by bribing a judge (Vittorio Metta is his name) back in 1991, thus they have to pay more than half a million euro to De Benedettis' CIR.

Berlusconi and his political heir (yes, another one...)

Tuesday, 13 August 2013. As Silvio Berlusconi's political future appears more and more doom and gloom, observers, friends and allies of the former prime minister point at his daughter Marina Berlusconi as new leader of the centre-right in Italy.

Marina Berlusconi with her younger  brother Pier Silvio

«I don't believe this will be the end of Berlusconi. The sentence [for tax fraud] will boost his approval» is the opinion of Northern League's founder (and disgraced former secretary) Umberto Bossi, a long-term friend (and sometimes foe) to Silvio Berlusconi, interviewed by Italian wire service ANSA.

Bossi will add that Berlusconi's daughter Marina could pick up the baton, adding to rumours that's been spreading since months.

Berlusconi next mayor of New York?

Monday, 8 July 2013. Italian online magazine Panorama.it mistakes the New Yorker's weekly satirical blog "The Borowitz Report" for a trustworthy source, as it divulges Silvio Berlusconi's intentions to run for NYC office.

As Andy Borowitz wrote on his blog “former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said today that he was considering running for office in New York City” the Berlusconi owned Panorama could not resist and reported the fake news as reliable, apparently.

That might have been the reason why Silvio Berlusconi had been practicing English, in the past.

The idea came from the news that Silvio Berlusconi could be banned from public office by a recent sentence coming from the Rubygate trial, a proceeding where the former prime minister was found guilty of abusing of child prostitution and his powers as prime minister (in both instances Moroccan nightclub dancer Karima El Mahroug – also known as Ruby the Heartstealer - was primarily involved, but many other women had been involved in the so-called bunga-bunga parties at Silvio's villa in Arcore).

Silvio Berlusconi and the socks of the judges

Thursday, December 20, 2012. Silvio Berlusconi-s owned gossip magazine attempts to delegitimize a magistrate looking into sex-scandal trial by denigrate her socks. It's not the first time they resort to this extreme measure, Italian judges should pay more attention to the colour of their socks, experts say.

Ilda Boccassini doing work

The prosecutor in charge of the Rubygate – a case in which Silvio Berlusconi is indicted for having given money to under-age Karima el Mahroug (aka Ruby the Heart Stealer) – has appeared on a photo shoot on Berlusconi's Mondadori-owned “Chi” weekly magazine, a gossip newspaper.

Judge Ilda Boccassini is an old enemy of Berlusconi's, since she took over the place of Antonio Di Pietro, back in 1994, in the “Mani pulite” (“Clean hands”) investigation.

Silvio and Ilda met up in several occasions, since.

Ilda Boccassini doing shopping

The gossip weekly portrays the judge as she goes shopping in the centre of Milan, adding captions in order to deride the magistrate. A list of her cloths is published, where “multi-coloured striped wool socks”, costing 21 euro, are exhibited and undrlined in order – somehow – to belittle the judge. Another photo shows Ilda Boccassini dropping the butt of a cigarette to the ground. Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera and Rai3 news service accused the media outlet of "hounding" the judge.

A similar technique was used by Canale5 broadcaster staff in 2009, when they hounded judge Raimondo Mesiano, who ordered to Silvio Berlusconi's Fininvest to pay 750 million euro (£612m) to Carlo De Benedetti's – arch-enemy of The Knight – CIR, as a compensation in the frame of the Lodo Mondadori, a battle between the two Italian entrepreneurs following the acquisition of publisher Arnoldo Mondadori Editore by Fininvest. Mr Mesiano was followed by the broadcaster's men, his turquoise-coloured socks were exposed as a major offence.

Ruby rebuilding her virginity with Chi's Alfonso Signorini

By the way, the weekly magazine we started this post with is owned by Arnoldo Mondadori Editore SpA (company chaired by Silvio's daughter, Maria Elvira Berlusconi, commonly known as Marina Berlusconi). The paper is also known for having published topless photos of Kate Middleton earlier this year, and a picture of prnicess Diana, taken as she was dying, after a car accident on 31 August 1997. The Director of “Chi”, Alfonso Signorini, was in charge also when Mediaset (on Canale 5's Kalispéra TV show) tried to prove that Ruby the Heart Stealer was – in reality – a kind of vocational nun, not a prostitute.

The Rubygate trial is going to continue on 4 February, after the last session – in which key witness and name giver for the investigation Karima el Mahroug (aka Ruby the Heart Stealer) was missing – was adjourned.

Obviously Silvio thinks that the best defence is a good offence.

Socks on the right...