Italian court to rule on Berlusconi immunity law
Legal World
Premier Silvio Berlusconi awaits a politically-charged decision by a top Italian court this week on whether a law that shields him from prosecution complies with the constitution.
The premier is a defendant in two trials in Milan accusing him of corruption and tax fraud. Both proceedings have been suspended thanks to the legislation, but will resume if the law is overturned by the Constitutional Court.
Berlusconi has always denied wrongdoing.
With journalists jammed in the courtroom, the 15 constitutional judges opened a hearing Tuesday during which the parties will lay out their cases.
A decision is not expected until Thursday.
The law, bitterly contested by the opposition, was passed in March by Berlusconi's conservative forces who control parliament, and went into effect the following month. It marked the third attempt at shielding Berlusconi during his various stints as head of government.
The legislation suspends court proceedings for up to 18 months if the defendant has a "legitimate impediment" stemming from being premier or a member of government. It was designed as a stopgap measure to buy the conservatives time while they prepare a more thorough immunity law for top officials.
Related listings
-
UK court holds 9 on terror conspiracy plot
Legal World 12/27/2010Nine terror suspects were charged Monday with planning a series of bombings in Britain and ordered to remain in custody.Details about their alleged plot were not released, but security officials said they were planning substantial attacks on British ...
-
Medvedev: Let court rule on Khodorkovsky, not us
Legal World 12/24/2010President Dmitry Medvedev urged officials on Friday to refrain from commenting on the case of jailed oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky before the court rules — his latest effort to try to improve the rule of law in Russia.Medvedev's comments came only ...
-
Top UK judge: No ban on Twitter in court
Legal World 12/20/2010The head of the judiciary in England and Wales ruled Monday that there is no ban on using Twitter in court.Lord Chief Justice Igor Judge said the use of "unobtrusive, hand held, virtually silent" equipment to give live text updates was unlikely to in...
New York Commercial Litigation Law Firm - Woods Lonergan PLLC
Founded in 1993 by Managing Partner James F. Woods, Woods Lonergan PLLC has built a strong reputation as a resourceful and industrious firm that provides clients with clear, concise, and straightforward answers to their most challenging legal issues. Partner Lawrence R. Lonergan, who joined the firm in 2008, has been a friend and colleague to Mr. Woods for over 40 years and shares the same business philosophy. Woods Lonergan PLLC’s collective experience and expertise enables the firm to expeditiously and effectively analyze the increasing challenges clients face in an evolving business and legal world, in many instances, avoiding unnecessary time and expense to our clients. Our mission is simple: provide cutting-edge expertise and sound advice in select areas of the law for corporate and business clients. We thrive on providing each client with personalized attention, forceful representation, and a collaborative team effort that embraces collective knowledge.