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Berlusconi in probe over TV talk shows

17 March 2010 00:31 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is being investigated for allegedly trying to pressure Italy’s communications watchdog to block state television talk shows critical of his government, a source close to the investigation said on Monday, APA reports quoting â€œReutersâ€.
Italian media have reported that phone taps ordered by prosecutors in the town of Trani showed Berlusconi complained to a member of the Agcom watchdog, which monitors pluralism on television, about some programs on the state broadcaster RAI, and asked for them to be taken off the air.
One source close to the investigation told Reuters that Berlusconi was formally under investigation for suspected abuse of office. A source in Berlusconi’s office said it had not been informed that he was under investigation. Being under investigation in Italy does not imply guilt, nor that any charges will be brought.
A lawyer for the prime minister, Filiberto Palumbo, told Reuters he had not yet heard from the Trani prosecutors whether Berlusconi, who faces regional elections at the end of this month, was being investigated.
After days of media speculation, Berlusconi’s lawyers asked the Trani prosecutors on Monday to officially inform them about whether he was being investigated.
Earlier on Monday, Berlusconi said he was "shocked" by reports that his phone had been tapped, accusing the Trani prosecutors of "blatant violations of the law" and denying any wrongdoing.
"It is a grotesque initiative. I am not at all worried about the content (of the phone taps) because the prime minister has a right to speak on the phone with anybody without being intercepted," he told state radio.
He said he had long raised concerns "right, left and center" about TV programs "who put people on trial ... without giving them the possibility to defend themselves."
"This is not only legitimate, but also a duty," he said.
The chief prosecutor in Trani was not immediately available for comment. Berlusconi’s main lawyer, Niccolo Ghedini, said in a statement that if the accusations against Berlusconi were confirmed they would be "groundless and contrary to common sense."
The Justice Ministry has sent inspectors to Trani after a leftist newspaper, "Il Fatto Quotidiano" first reported on Friday that Berlusconi was under investigation there for attempting to censor some state television programs.
Justice Minister Angelino Alfano, a close Berlusconi ally, said the inspectors should check on the use of phone taps by the prosecutors, media leaks about the investigation, and whether the Trani prosecutors had the right to launch an investigation.
Excerpts of telephone conversations allegedly show Berlusconi speaking to a member of Agcom, Giancarlo Innocenzi, and the head of news for RAI, and complaining strongly about some political talk shows on the flagship channel.
According to Italian media, the phone conversations were tapped while prosecutors investigated a separate case unrelated to Berlusconi, who has long complained publicly about what he says are biased programs on RAI against his government.
The controversy is the latest to hit Berlusconi’s camp ahead of regional elections on March 28-29, after his PDL party missed the deadline to register its candidates in the key Rome province.
The media tycoon-turned-politician controls private broadcaster Mediaset, RAI’s main competitor.