Silvio Berlusconi defiantly vowed to stay at the centre of Italian politics yesterday despite his expected expulsion from Parliament over a fraud conviction, and accused leftist judges of plotting against him to pervert democracy.
In a long-awaited TV address shortly before a Senate committee met to take the first step in expelling him, the media magnate made no mention of his previous threats to bring down the left-right coalition government of Prime Minister Enrico Letta because of the conviction.
I will always be with you, expelled from Parliament or not
“I will always be with you, at your side, expelled from Parliament or not. It is not the parliamentary seat that makes a leader,” the 76-year-old billionaire said. He called for centre-right voters to rally behind the relaunched Forza Italia party, with which he first stormed into politics in 1994.
The supreme court last month confirmed a four-year jail term, commuted to one year, on Berlusconi for a giant fraud at his Mediaset television empire. He is expected to go into house arrest or do community service instead of going to jail.
He seemed to be resigned to being ejected from Parliament but said he would not give up his leadership of the centre right, calling for freedom-loving Italians to “wake up... rebel, become indignant, react and make yourself heard”.
Berlusconi said he was “absolutely innocent” of tax fraud, and the judiciary had “transformed itself into a rival state power, capable of influencing the executive”.
“They want to get rid of me by judicial means because they have been unable to do so with democracy,” said Berlusconi, who was also ordered by the supreme court on Tuesday to pay almost half a million euros to a business rival over a disputed takeover battle. Berlusconi wants to seize the initiative despite his conviction by replacing his current People of Freedom (PDL) party with Forza Italia to revitalise centre-right voters and appeal to young people.
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The Senate Committee tasked with deciding on the expulsion of Berlusconi from the Senate ended in disarray last night after some members abandoned the meeting, according to RaiNews24.
The majority of members had voted against two proposals made by Senator Andrea Augello, from Berlusconi’s Popolo della Liberta’ party.
Senators of PDL left the hall in protest prior to a third vote.
All the votes involved preliminary issues being debated ahead of a final decision on whether to expel the former prime minister.