5 year jail call for Berlusconi

Berlusconi is accused of paying $600,000 to David Mills, his former British lawyer, for false testimony in several trials in the 1990s. Mills was convicted in 2009 and sentenced to 4.5 years in prison, but was released after an appeals court threw out the case in 2010 because it ran out of time.

“It is certain, beyond any reasonable doubt, that the defendant is guilty," prosecutor Fabio de Pasquale told the court today.

The defence team is arguing the prosecutor’s case is based on false documents.

Berlusconi, who stepped down as Prime Minister in November, is facing four other trials for bribery, sex with an underage prostitute, tax fraud, and abuse of power and violating official secrets.

Cassandra Tanti