Italy’s Premier Cleared of Charges

The spectacle of Italy’s prime minister standing trial on corruption charges even as he attempted to govern the country has for years formed part of the high drama that is Italian politics.

But on Friday, Silvio Berlusconi finally felt vindicated. Ending a legal battle that endured for nearly two decades, an Italian court cleared Berlusconi of charges that he bribed a judge to favor his vast business interests.

“Better late than never,” the prime minister said. “I was right to have a clear conscience, because I was quite clear that I had committed nothing wrong.”

The three-judge panel found that the statute of limitations had lapsed on one charge, and it acquitted him on the other. The case stemmed from a business deal in the early 1980s in which the billionaire media tycoon allegedly tried to block the sale of a state food conglomerate to a rival.

The prosecution had asked the judges to give Berlusconi an eight-year sentence. Although several former prime ministers have ended up in the dock in Italy, it was the first time that one still in office stood accused of criminal misdeeds.

As Italy’s richest man, Berlusconi has faced a raft of investigations and court cases revolving around allegedly shady business dealings, most of which took place before he entered politics.

He has always maintained that he was the victim of a witch hunt waged by leftist magistrates.

The trial that ended Friday began in March 2000 but was suspended at one point when Parliament, controlled by Berlusconi, enacted a law that granted him immunity from prosecution. Italy’s constitutional court voided the law in January.

In the same case, Cesare Previti, Berlusconi’s former lawyer and a close associate, was convicted in 2003 for paying a $434,000 bribe to a judge, who was also convicted.

Berlusconi went before the Milan court twice in one month last year to defend his actions, declaring that his accusers were “throwing mud” that damaged his image and that of the country.

Berlusconi’s supporters said the acquittal would deprive the center-left opposition of an important weapon in the 2006 elections and removed a cloud over his reputation as he prepared to head to Washington for talks with President Bush.

Although some members of the opposition demanded that Berlusconi resign, with or without a guilty verdict, others saw a silver lining in the court decision.

“From a political point of view this is good news,” said Anna Finocchiario, who handles judiciary matters for the Democratic Left opposition faction. “No country in the world could be proud to have a prime minister ... found guilty for such a serious crime as bribing judges.”

Wilkinson reported from Istanbul, Turkey, and De Cristofaro from Rome.