Session will be behind closed doors, appeals court says
A Milan appeals court on Tuesday set a hearing February 18 to discuss a petition from lawyers for Silvio Berlusoni to recuse the judges in a Milan trial where the media magnate and former Italian premier stands accused of bribing British tax lawyer David Mills.
The session will be behind closed doors, the appeals court said.
In their petition, the defence lawyers have claimed bias by the judges in cutting witness lists and accelerating procedure to make sure the trial is not timed out.
Defence lawyer Niccolo' Ghedini said earlier Tuesday that the judges should reinstate three witnesses who have been cut from the testimony schedule.
On Monday Berlusconi reiterated his belief that the judges were out to get a guilty verdict in before the statute of limitations kicks in.
Berlusconi has said the judges are "determined" to convict him before the trial is timed out.
Ghedini has also claimed the judges had already made up their minds to find the ex-premier guilty.
"We have realised that the court has already decided the verdict, and it's a guilty one," Ghedini said after judges asked him to combine a set of questions to hasten proceedings.
On January 20 the court unveiled an accelerated hearing schedule aimed at beating the expiry date.
In the trial, Mills is accused of accepting money from Berlusconi after allegedly hushing up evidence in two previous trials.
On January 31 Berlusconi will be called to the stand along with two other witnesses and an expert for the defence.
On February 3 the court will hear testimony from Flavio Briatore, the former Renault F1 boss and a friend of the ex-premier, who allegedly funneled the bribe.
On February 6 the defense will question Diego Attanasio, a shipping magnate from whom Mills maintains the money actually came.
Closing statements will be made on February 9 and the judges will start their final deliberations on February 11.
Mills was sentenced to four and a half years in jail in 2009 for taking a $600,000 payment for committing perjury but the conviction was later timed out.
Berlusconi is also facing two other trials on charges of tax fraud on buying films for his media empire and paying an underage prostitute for sex before using his position to try to cover it up.
The media-magnate-turned politician has always proclaimed his innocence, saying he is being targeted by politically motivated judges.
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