Silvio Berlusconi and the verdict

Saturday, February 25, 2012. It could be the date when the former premier will be sentenced. At least that's Silvio Berlusconi's opinion.

Running out of options

“They are going to sentence me”, declared today Silvio Berlusconi to the Berlusconi-owned newspaper Il Giornale, “it's crazy, this country is in the judges' hands”.

The complaint is coming just a couple of days after an appeals court dismissed Silvio Berlusconi's claims of judicial bias, and cleared the way to proceed with a graft trial - the so-called Mills Trial - started back in 2006 (but related to events happened in the 90s). And after Mr Berlusconi managed to meet Mario Monti, the current Italian PM, trying to get some kind of support, any kind of support.

The Italian Silvio could be sentenced to five years imprisonment for bribing his former tax lawyer (with the sum of 600,000 USD), in order to prevent David Mills (that's his name) from testifying against him in two other proceedings.

"It is certain, beyond any reasonable doubt, that the defendant is guilty," prosecutor Fabio De Pasquale told a court in a damning attack in which he accused Berlusconi's defence of being entirely "based on false documents."

David Mills

Prosecutor Fabio De Pasquale stated that Berlusconi's defence is entirely "based on false documents" and that he is certain beyond any reasonable doubt of the guilt of the 75-year-old.

The trial could represent an occasion for the anti-Berlusconi and the pro-Berlusconi sides to clash, but looking at the space granted to the former premier, the latter do not seem to be set for crusade to rescue him.