Silvio Berlusconi, Italy’s centre-right prime minister, on Tuesday reached an agreement with a key ally on judicial reforms that opposition politicians feared were designed primarily to terminate two trials pending against the billionaire media magnate.
Mr Berlusconi met Gianfranco Fini, speaker of the lower house of parliament, to discuss the reforms. Some newspapers, including one owned by the Berlusconi family, had portrayed the encounter as a make-or-break moment with the prime minister set to threaten to drive Mr Fini out of their People of Liberty party and call new elections unless he agreed to support legislation that would end Mr Berlusconi’s legal problems.
The constitutional court last month stripped Mr Berlusconi of his immunity from prosecution, granted by parliament last year, leading the prime minister to seek other avenues to block judges he has repeatedly denounced as politically motivated.
Mr Fini, a possible heir to the 73-year-old premier, had refused to back legislation that would reduce the statute of limitations and time limits for the two corruption trials involving Mr Berlusconi. But Mr Fini confirmed after their talks that they had agreed to put forward legislation soon that would limit some trials – including the two stages of appeal allowed – to six years in total.
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