Italy's constitutional court ruled on Thursday that a law which has protected Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi from prosecution for corruption and fraud was partially invalid and judges could order him to stand trial. The court ruled in a statement that the law, which allows cabinet ministers including Berlusconi to claim exemption from going to court because of their official duties, was not consistent in key points with the constitution.
The ruling by the 15-member court will further weaken the 74-year-old premier, who is battling to shore up his fragile centre-right government after scraping through a no-confidence vote last month. In particular, the judges struck down the blanket exemption offered by the so-called "legitimate impediment" law and ruled that it would be up to individual trial judges to decide on a case-by-case basis whether ministers would have to face charges. He is accused of bribing his lawyer David Mills to give false testimony and also faces charges of embezzlement and tax fraud in connection with the sale of television rights.
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