Berlusconi now open to prosecution

Press TV - October 7, 2009

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi

Italy's Constitutional Court has stripped the country's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi of his immunity against legal action.

The ruling by the court, the highest tribunal in Italy, came on Wednesday to the consternation of the premier's colossal public fan base, AFP reported.

Berlusconi has invoked his exception from the course of justice in a number of cases, which now threaten to be revived thanks to the annulment.

The premier could face charges of corruption, tax fraud, false accounting and illegal financing of political parties. There have also been some rumors regarding a possible connection with the Italian Mafia.

The 73-year-old slammed the adjudicators as "11 left-wing judges."

"We must govern for five years with or without the law," Berlusconi said following his earlier suggestions that legal complications should not get into the way of governance.