Berlusconi and the trial over the obscure bribing

Tue, 19 March, 2013. Neapolitan tribunal rejects “immediate judgement” in latest Silvio Berlusconi's proceedings for bribing members of the Senate of Italy, following the “Operazione Libertà” inquiry.

Sergio De Gregorio, unintentional target of a bribery?

“Operazione Libertà” (“Operation Freedom”) was the name that - back in 2006 and 2007 - Silvio Berlusconi gave to a series of actions taken in order to “acquire” politicians from the Romano Prodi led left-wing coalition and bring to an end the Prodi II Cabinet, basically a bunch of Communists (as Silvio would put it, and actually a few parties of the coalition did have the “Communist” word in their name).

During the “Operation Freedom”, some of the Senators from IdV (former magistrate Antonio “Tonino” Di Pietro's movement, “Italia dei Valori”, in English: “Italy of values”) – Antonio Razzi, Domenico Scilipoti and Sergio De Gregorio – switched side and became staunch defenders of Silvio Berlusconi (some of them up to his resignation in 2011).

Berlusconi returns to the Senate of Italy, just to witness the defeat of his speaker candidate

Sat, 16 March, 2013. After leaving the hospital where he was cured for an eye conditions Silvio Berlusconi returns to the Senate of Italy, welcomed by protesters' boos and jeers

Facing court trial both on tax fraud and sex charges for paying and under-age prostitute (Karima El Mahroug aka Ruby the Heart Stealer), Silvio Berlusconi chose – at least this is prosecutor of the sex scandal proceedings, Ilda Boccassini's theory – to seek refuge in hospital, with the excuse (according to prosecution) of curing a form conjunctivitis called uveitis.

The new look of Silvio Berlusconi (attending to a session of the  Senate of Italy)

In the meanwhile Silvio's lawyers, who managed to see the former Italian prime minister's «legitimate impediment» recognised, are trying A) to move the proceedings to Brescia and B) to seek for a «legitimate impediment» for themselves (for political reasons, since they have to attend to meetings and gatherings, being members of the PdL – People of Liberty party).

Manoeuvres to gain time (according to the leftist prosecutors). But this isn't the point.

The point is that - finally - Silvio Berlusconi last Saturday had to leave the hospital, in order to participate to a vote in the Senate, where the speaker was about to be elected.

He was showing off an unusual pair of sunglasses, proof of the eye condition the prosecutors refused to believe.

Silvio Berlusconi's supporters «silent protesting»

Monday, 11 March, 2013 (Saint Leander of Seville). As the Vatican's cardinals join the papal conclave a crowd of centre-right lawmakers protest against Silvio Berlusconi going on trial on charges of paying for sex with an ander-age girl and abusing of his power as PM.

The plan A was to avoid the trial by sending a fax (a few faxes) stating that Silvio Berlusconi conjunctivitis-caused sensitivity to light (or uveitis, to be more precise, see our blog's post on the sunbject by clicking here) doesn't allow the former prime minister of Italy to attend to the so called Rubygate sex scandal trial Monday's session.

But it didn't work out, because of «a Stalinist court that sent Nazi doctors to examine Berlusconi,», said the Berlusconi's PdL (People of Liberty) Party exponent's Fabrizio Cicchitto (who - by the way - is a former Marxist-winger of the Italian Socialist Party; he might even know something about Stalinism and Nazism, innit?). A "Stalinist court", which is "more dangerous than the Sicilian Mafia", we might say, combining Cicchitto version with Silvio's opinion.

Souvenir photo of a "silent protest" in favour of Silvio Berlusconi. Can you spot anyone?

Anyhow. The plan did not work out, so the staunch supporters of Silvio had to do something, and they decided to go for a “silent protest” (even though Silvio himself told them refrain from doing so... but did he really meant it?).