Berlusconi: High court explains to former prime minister how the ban from public office works

Tuesday, 18 March 2014. Italian High Court explains to former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi how the ban from public office works, and that he cannot run as a candidate for the European Parliament.

“Yes, you're banned from public office for two year, and no, you cannot run for European Parliament” told the High Court to Silvio Berlusconi, who tried to convince them that he had a case for his appeal (appealing also to the European Court of Human Rights).

The only way for Mr Berlusconi to get back to politics might be an appointment from his friend Putin?

While he was at it, he appealed also against his expulsion from the Senate, another measure – like the interdiction from taking part in elections as a candidate – taken after Mr Berlusconi was found guilty of tax fraud. 

Silvio Berlusconi and the Ukrainian candidate

Saturday, November 28, 2012. Silvio Berlusconi gets unexpected support from the Mayor of Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, Hennadiy Keres, who put up a giant banner saying “Hands off Berlusconi”.

Berlusconi's banner in Kharkiv, Ukraine

They started it, not us, would reply Mr Hennadiy Keres, Mayor of the second largest city in Ukraine, Kharkiv, if asked why he decided to put up a giant banner with a bilingual writing, citing “Hands off Berlusconi. Because of him Italy has lost millions. Municipality of Rome, support not only Ukraine's Prime Minister but also yours!”

And – in a way – he is right, since Rome's Mayor, Gianni Alemanno (of Berlusconi's PdL), stuck up a (quite smaller) picture of former Ukrainian PM Yulia Tymoshenko outside his office on Rome's Capitol Hill a couple of days before, with the following writing on it: “Free Yulia Tymoshenko”

One of the small difference between the two causes, is that the 76-year-old former Italian Prime Minister is far from being jailed, actually he is threatening to start a new party, in sight of parliamentary elections in 2013. Berlusconi was given a four-year sentence for tax fraud, but he is still free pending appeals and he's not likely to ever get into jail, due to his age.

Yulia Tymoshenko's banner in Rome, Italy

The first woman to become Ukraine's prime minister, 52-year-old Tymoshenko (her birthday was on the 27^th of November) was actually prisoned back in December 2011 in the city of Kharkiv (she is now receiving treatment at a hospital) where she is expected to serve a seven-year term for abuse of office in relation to a natural-gas deal with Russia.

Berlusconi and his supporters say the charges are politically motivated, just like Tymoshenko and her supporters say. Both – according to the Mayor of Kharkiv – cost money to their countries.

The European Union and the United States have decried Tymoshenko imprisonment as selective justice, they do not seem much impressed by Berlusconi's claims that Italy is a magistocracy, rather than a democracy (and therefore he will go on fighting, instead of retiring).

Silvio like Yulia?