'MOST INDICTED MAN IN HISTORY' BERLUSCONI APPEARS IN COURT
(ANSA) - Milan, March 28 - Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi described himself as the ''most indicted man in history and in the universe'' Monday before appearing in court for a hearing for one of four criminal trials he faces.
Berlusconi denies wrongdoing and says left-leaning prosecutors have trumped up the charges, three regarding alleged corruption and one concerning accusations he used an underage prostitute, in a bid to oust him from power.
Monday's was a preliminary hearing ahead of an expected trial into tax fraud on broadcasting rights traded by a unit of the premier's Mediaset media empire, Mediatrade.
Berlusconi, who has been indicted along with his son Piersilvio, Mediaset Chairman Fedele Confalonieri and nine others, reassured a throng of supporters on the way out of the courtroom that ''everything's OK'' and thanked them for coming.
''Like the previous ones, the Mediatrade trial is an attempt to eliminate the Left's biggest obstacle to winning power,'' Berlusconi told one of his Mediaset channels referring to a long series of corruptions trials, none of which have led to a definitive conviction, sometimes following law changes passed by Berlusconi's governments or the expiry of the statute of limitations.
''I've never dealt with TV rights,'' he added ahead of his first court appearance since 2003.
''The accusations are groundless and ridiculous... I'm the most indicted man in history and in the universe. I've already stood 24 trials, all of which ended with acquittals''.
Berlusconi also faces another corruption trial regarding alleged offences at Mediaset, with the next hearing set for April 11, and one for allegedly bribing British tax lawyer David Mills for favourable testimony in a past case.
On Wednesday April 6 a trial begins into allegations he paid to have sex with a Moroccan belly dancer, Karima El Mahroug, aka Ruby 'Heartstealer', before she was 18 years of age, during alleged sex parties at his home near Milan.
Berlusconi and Ruby both deny ever having sex and the woman, who is now 18, says money the premier gave her was a gift, following a scandal that has shocked Italy and attracted front-page headlines worldwide.
The 74-year-old is also accused of allegedly abusing his power for allegedly pressuring police to get Ruby out of custody when she was detained on an unrelated theft charge, telling them she was the granddaughter of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
The three corruption trials were reactivated after the Constitutional Court in January partially struck down the latest judicial shield passed by Berlusconi governments.
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Sourced at LifinItaly.com By Daran Oswyn Jones.
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