Prosecutor seeks eight-year jail term for Berlusconi

An Italian prosecutor asked a court yesterday to sentence Silvio Berlusconi to eight years in jail for bribing judges as the prime minister's four-year corruption trial reached its closing stages.

In the latest in a series of legal cases involving Mr Berlusconi, Milan magistrates have accused him of bribing judges to stop the sale of state-owned food chain SME to a rival businessman in the 1980s, before he entered politics.

He has denied the charges and said he is the victim of a politically motivated campaign by left-wing magistrates.

"I ask that the accused be sentenced to eight years in prison," prosecutor Ilda Boccassini told the three judges presiding over the trial.

Delivering her closing arguments, she urged the judges to convict "the businessman who had (the judges) on his payroll".

Ms Boccassini also asked the court to bar Mr Berlusconi for life from holding public office.

Defence lawyers are due to sum up their case in early December. A verdict is expected late this year or early next year.

Defence lawyer Nicolo Ghedini told reporters that the prosecution's recommended sentence was "based on nothing".

Another lawyer working for the prime minister, Gaetano Pecorella, said Ms Boccassini had failed to trace money transferred from the accounts of Mr Berlusconi's family holding company Fininvest into those of the judges involved in the case.

There was no immediate comment from Mr Berlusconi, who in the past had appeared in the trial in Milan's main court but was not present yesterday.

Mr Berlusconi, 68, said last year he would not resign if he were convicted of corruption in the SME trial. If found guilty, the prime minister would be able to remain in office while appealing the verdict.

The corruption charge levelled against the prime minister is due to expire in March 2006 under a statute of limitations.

Since entering politics in 1994, Mr Berlusconi has been investigated in numerous cases connected to his business empire, which spans media and finance.

The businessman-turned-politician has been convicted before but had the various sentences overturned on appeal or thrown out because of an amnesty law or statute of limitation rules.

In the SME case, Mr Berlusconi was initially put on trial with several other defendants. But his trial was split off after his coalition government approved a law last year giving the prime minister and other high officials immunity from prosecution.

Italy's Constitutional Court annulled the law at the start of this year, and his trial resumed in April.

In November last year, a friend and political ally of Mr Berlusconi, Cesare Previti, and other co-defendants were acquitted of a charge relating to the SME case.