Silvio Berlusconi came under fire on Tuesday for a controversial proposal to reduce the length of time trials can last, in a move condemned by his critics as a way for him to eliminate at a stroke his own legal entanglements.
The prime minister's most important ally, faction leader Gianfranco Fini, said a bill would be introduced to parliament which would propose capping the length of Italian trials, which can currently last more than a decade.
The Italian justice system is in desperate need of reform – official figures show that there is a backlog of 3.6 million criminal cases and 5.4 million civil cases.
But there is little doubt that the proposal to change the country's statute of limitations would also benefit Mr Berlusconi, 73, who faces two corruption trials which are due to start this month.
An MP from the opposition Democratic Party, Donatella Ferranti, said parliament should reject any "tailor-made laws" designed to let Mr Berlusconi off the hook.
Antonio Di Pietro, a former anti-corruption investigator and the leader of the small Italy of Values opposition party, described the proposed changes as "criminal". A colleague, Felice Belisario, said: "This is just a masked trick to save the prime minister."
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/6538660/Silvio-Berlusconi-accused-of-changing-laws-to-his-advantage.html
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