Daughter hits out at Berlusconi 'manhunt'
Monday October 12 2009
THE eldest daughter of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has accused his opponents of leading a "manhunt" against him.
Marina Berlusconi defended her billionaire father after one of the worst weeks of his political career, describing him as the victim of a "systematic lynching" by left-wing opponents intent on "destroying him by any means".
The Italian leader is fighting for his political life after the constitutional court stripped him of his immunity from prosecution, reactivating a series of criminal trials against him.
On Saturday, Mr Berlusconi was greeted with a mixture of insults and applause as he attended the state funeral of 21 victims of mudslides that devastated towns near Messina, Sicily, this month.
Some mourners outside the cathedral jeered "shame", "buffoon", "go away" and whistled derisively, as Mr Berlusconi left the service. Others among the 1,500 inside the church shouted "Silvio, save us!" during the service.
Miss Berlusconi (43), is the prime minister's daughter from his first marriage. She is president of Fininvest, the family holding company, and Mondadori, Italy's biggest book and magazine publisher. She is described by Forbes as the 33rd most-powerful woman in the world.
Despite the humiliating prospect of her father going on trial, she insisted that he would be remembered as Italy's longest-serving and "most- loved" leader: "My father, thankfully, has quick reflexes. He also has nerves of steel," she said.
Miss Berlusconi accused the prime minister's opponents of being part of a small minority that wanted to subvert the democratic will of the people.
Furious
Last week a Milan court found that Mr Berlusconi was "co-responsible" for corruption in a bribery case.
Most Italians agree with a court decision to strip Mr Berlusconi of immunity from prosecution but only a minority want to cut short his term and hold early elections, according to new polls out yesterday.
Mr Berlusconi was furious about a court verdict this week removing his immunity, which meant cases for fraud and corruption linked to his Mediaset business empire can proceed.
The 73-year-old conservative leader accused the top court, the Italian President, Giorgio Napolitano, and the media of being part of a leftist conspiracy to bring about his downfall.
But two new opinion polls suggest that the country, which elected him for a third term last year, has little sympathy with his legal predicament. (©The Times, London)
- Lucy Bannerman in Rome
Irish Independent
