Arrivederci Berlusconi

You got to hand it to him, Silvio Berlusconi certainly lives up to the hot blooded Italian stereotype. The 76 year old launched an angry tirade against the judges who upheld his 4 year prison sentence for tax fraud, which, given his age, he will most likely carry out under house arrest, or even community service. It is a fairly cushy sentence.

However, in a 9 minute televised statement the former Italian Prime Minister who served as PM three times in nearly 20 years, said of the conviction; '(it is) an incredible series of accusations and trials that had nothing to do with reality'.

The Italian judiciary system have been chasing the wily Senator for most of the last two decades for a range of offences including false accounting and have sex with an under age prostitute (a conviction for which he was recently sentenced to 7 years jail time. Unsurprisingly, he has also appealed against this conviction). With a string of tabloid tales of his 'bunga bunga' sex parties, the successful business man and media tycoon has perhaps developed a skewered sense of reality over time, believing himself to be elevated far beyond the reach of the law. 

 Berlusconi then attempts to tug at the heart strings of the Italian people emotionally stating that ' In exchange for the commitments I have made over almost 20 years in favour of my country and coming almost at the end of my public life, I have been rewarded with accusations and a verdict that is founded on absolutely nothing, that takes away my personal freedom and my political rights.' Italy is only just recovering from the mess Berlusconi left behind in 2011, after a terrible handling of the Eurozone Crisis. So, I'm not sure quite how much of this statement will ring true to the people of the Italian nation, to many his empty words will ring false.

Despite this, the PM is still able to hold his position as Senator as a further judiciary review takes place into his ban from holding public office. The initial sentence barring him from holding office for 5 years is now likely to be reduced to just 3 years, and allows the shamed politician to maintain his position until a judgement is reached. So although he may not have won everything he wanted, he has still managed to escape charges where perhaps a lesser known politician may not have been so fortunate.

It is important in any government, that even those at the highest echelons, are held accountable to the law of the land. Every man and woman should be held accountable for their actions, their career should not allow exemption from any criminal activities, however it is naive to believe that those at the highest levels of power do not abuse this from time to time. That said, it is encouraging to see a country successfully convicting a criminal that has held such a position of power. It gives me a bit of faith in democracy.

Lora.

Follow me on Twitter @LoradeeC.