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 prison sentence upheld by court (but Silvio's army misunderstood the verdict)

Thursday, 1 August 2013. As millions were holding their breath Supreme Court rejected Silvio Berlusconi's last appeal and sentenced him to a four-year jail term. Live.

Italian and European flag in the background, a special edition of Mediaset's Rete4 newsservice
about its boss, Silvio Berlusconi

Almost everybody in Italy was waiting for the dramatic ending of one of Silvio Berlusconi's trial, a tax fraud case involving the billionaire's mass media company Mediaset.

The Cassation's (or Supreme) Court was in charge of ruling the appeal, the last one, which was rejected.

The sentence, read out loud by the president of the Supreme Court, upheld the prison term (four years), but quashed the ban on Mr Berlusconi to hold public office (actually the court just passed the buck to a Milan's appeal court).

Berlusconi judged by a holiday tribunal

Tuesday, 30 July 2013. In order to avoid statute of limitations, a holiday tribunal is going to judge Silvio Berlusconi's Mediaset tax fraud case.

Silvio Berlusconi; they might get me, at last...

Berlusconi's tax evasion case is the eighth proceeding to be dealt with by the Sezione feriale della Cassazione (Cassation's Holiday Section? Beachwear instead of gowns? Nicole Minetti could be interested in taking part to it...), starting today.

Why did the court decide to rule about this case in the middle of summer? It is made on purpose – say Berlusconi's lawyers – to make sure that the statute of limitation that won't declare null and void the case (or a part of it) in September. Good point.