Well, a few minutes ago the 15-member panel of Italy’s top court ruled that the law was unconstitutional—because, besides having been passed by parliament as a normal law rather than a constitutional reform, it violated the constitutional guarantee of equality before the law—thus paving the way for two corruption trials to resume against Prime minister Silvio Berlusconi.
A spokesman for the Prime minister, Paolo Bonaiuti, called the court’s decision “politically motivated.” And perhaps he is right. At the moment, it’s difficult to foresee what the future holds in store. Let’s just recall that, while Berlusconi’s battles with the law have marked his public life since he burst onto the political scene in the mid-1990s, and although some initial judgments have gone against him, he has never been definitively convicted. What this may mean, it’s up to you, folks, to guess. Please, be nasty-minded and without blinkers, and you’ll have a chance to hit the mark..
Yesterday I was 'reddened' on one of Italy's favourite sites, favoured at least by a certain political tendency. Maybe deservedly so for having dared express an opinion from an unqualified yet respectable distance.
ReplyDeleteThe law of immunity is not restricted to Italy of course. It's a necessary law to assure national security and the smooth running of governmental functions whilst whoever is concerned is still in office.
So it would seem that this particular case of according non immunity to Berlusconi
is a specially made to measure arrangement to finally oust the Italian Prime Minister. Maybe it's a necessary measure in view of the weight of charges against him, but it may not be only political.
Chirac was more fortunate, but he never provoked his would be adversaries, and he exploited his 'beaming obliviously look'. It remains to be seen how the out come of Clearstream will also effect him. The past often catches up with us all, eventually.
An idea for a belated film for Polanski?