Verdict effectively clears Italian prime minister over allegations his entry into politics was backed by Cosa Nostra.
udges in Sicily today handed down a verdict that effectively cleared the Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, of accusations his entry into politics had been sponsored by the Mafia.
The court of appeal in Palermo concluded that the Sicilian advertising executive who created the Forza Italia! (Come on Italy!) party with which Berlusconi burst onto the political scene in 1994 had previously had links with Cosa Nostra, the original Mafia.
But the three judges decided there was no evidence to show that Marcello Dell'Utri – a long-term friend and ally of Berlusconi – had been in cahoots with the mob after 1992.
That was little comfort to Dell'Utri, who was convicted of collaborating with the Mafia six years ago.
guardian.co.uk
|
