Former Italian PM Berlusconi hospitalized again, lawyer announces at court hearing

At a court hearing in Milan over an investigation into Silvio Berlusconi’s infamous ‘bunga-bunga’ parties, the former leader’s lawyer announced that he had been admitted to hospital again due to “health problems.”

Speaking in court, lawyer Federico Cecconi, who represents the ex-premier, stated that “due to health problems, Berlusconi has been hospitalized since Monday morning.” However, he did not specify what concerns had led to his admission to the medical facility.

The 84-year-old Italian political figure, who leads the Forza Italia party, has been hospitalized due to several health issues in recent years, including open heart surgery in 2016, Covid-19 in September, and heart problems in January.

Despite Berlusconi’s absence from the proceedings, his lawyer did not request that the hearing or the case be postponed, with Forza Italia separately stating that he will be “discharged shortly.”

Berlusconi and 28 others are facing charges of witness tampering and false testimony. Prosecutors allege that the former leader tried to silence witnesses who could testify about his ‘bunga-bunga’ parties by paying €10 million ($11.83 million) to numerous people over a four-year period, including €7 million ($8.28 million) to a dancer, known as Ruby, who was under 18 when she attended the gatherings.

Berlusconi has repeatedly denied the claims of wrongdoing and called the case a politically motivated prosecution.

This is not the first time the Italian politician has faced legal trouble. In 2012, Berlusconi was convicted of tax fraud and initially sentenced to one year in prison, with that later reduced to a year of community service.

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