Silvio Berlusconi suffers blow as minister resigns over corruption charges

Source: Telegraph

Silvio Berlusconi suffers blow as minister resigns over corruption charges
Silvio Berlusconi's government suffered a blow on Tuesday when a minister was forced to resign over allegations that he was involved in an illegal property deal.

By Nick Squires in Rome
Published: 4:25PM BST 04 May 2010

Claudio Scajola, the industry minister and a close ally of Mr Berlusconi, stepped down amid accusations that he paid well below the market rate for a luxury apartment overlooking the Colosseum in Rome.

The flat was partly paid for by a Rome-based businessman, who is at the heart of a separate corruption investigation into the awarding of building contracts, according to prosecutors.

Mr Scajola's departure marked the first big change to the cabinet since Mr Berlusconi was re-elected two years ago.

It comes at a time of deep instability in the governing coalition, with bitter feuding between the prime minister's two most important allies: Umberto Bossi, the leader of the xenophobic Northern League, and Gianfranco Fini, a suave former fascist.



Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/7677788/Silvio-Berlusconi-suffers-blow-as-minister-resigns-over-corruption-charges.html

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http://lacomunidad.elpais.com.nyud.net:8090/blogfiles/alta-definicion/BerlusconiBushCmpDavid.jpg

Silvio Berlusconi and friend.

that right-wing Fascist.

Meanwhile, Berlusconi controls 90 % of all television in Italy,

and they rely on TV predominantly for their news, reportedly.