A trial against Silvio Berlusconi for fraud with TV broadcasting rights will be resumed today. It is the first criminal case against the prime minister of Italy that is to be picked up since the Constitutional Court declared an immunity law for the prime minister unconstitutional, last January.

The prosecutors suspect that Berlusconi, the CEO of Mediaset, has allowed accounting and tax fraud worth hundreds of millions of euros by cheating with copyrights for television programs. The prime minister announced that he does not intend to show up in court in Milan, and will leave the matter to the lawyers representing him.

Berlusconi's defense has recently waived opportunities to postpone the case or choke the case for procedural reasons. Thus, the trial against Berlusconi's Mediaset company can continue today, Italian media reported. The Mediaset case illustrates the enormous value that copyrights are representing for the media company. In a recent conversation with political allies, the prime minister complained that on lawyer’s bills alone he had to spend 340 million euros.

Justice in Italy has started dozens of investigations against Berlusconi, one of the richest men in the country. According to the court in Palermo he also has had contacts with the mafia. Berlusconi himself is not really impressed, he regularly describes judges and prosecutors as communists or madmen.

At the moment, it is impossible to know whether or not Berlusconi will be able to dodge the allegations of fraud with television rights. However, he will be the subject of a new movie. Italian director Roberta Torre will make a film on the sex life of the Italian prime minister. According to her The fall of the empire will be a ‘merciless satirical musical about the era of Bunga-Bunga.’

References: Yahoo news, de Volkskrant (Dutch)