Court strikes down Berlusconi immunity

As expected, Italy’s constitutional court has amended the law protecting Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi from prosecution on bribery and tax fraud charges:  Quoting "qualified sources", the Italian news agency Ansa said the court had ruled that the prime minister could not automatically invoke a "legitimate impediment" claim exempting him and cabinet ministers from attending ...

By , a former associate editor at Foreign Policy.
559271_sconi_0_02.jpg
559271_sconi_0_02.jpg

As expected, Italy's constitutional court has amended the law protecting Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi from prosecution on bribery and tax fraud charges: 

As expected, Italy’s constitutional court has amended the law protecting Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi from prosecution on bribery and tax fraud charges: 

Quoting "qualified sources", the Italian news agency Ansa said the court had ruled that the prime minister could not automatically invoke a "legitimate impediment" claim exempting him and cabinet ministers from attending trials in progress because of their official duties.

The law granting members of the government immunity from prosecution for up to 18 months was passed in March 2010 in the face of bitter opposition.

For most leaders, this might be a devastating setback, but Berlusconi has been here before. The court also struck down immunity laws protecting Berlusconi in 2004 and 2009, and he simply passed new laws. 

Joshua Keating was an associate editor at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @joshuakeating

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