The latest row erupted on Friday when the justice ministry blocked a request by Milan judges to carry out an investigation in the United States into alleged financial wrongdoing by Mediaset, Mr Berlusconi’s media empire.
The quarrel has pitted Justice Undersecretary Michele Vietti, a UDC member, against his superior, Justice Minister Roberto Castelli, from the Northern League.
A controversial law passed last month granted Mr Berlusconi immunity from prosecution. But Mr Vietti and other UDC leaders argue that the law was intended to block only prosecutions, not investigations.
Mr Vietti said the block on trials of top state officials should be enforced “only after a request for a trial is lodged” and the measure “does not affect inquiries”.
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Reason contributing editor Michael Young weighs in on Italian journalist Elisabetta Burba.
Young dissects her credibility and feels her shortcomings add fuel to arguments the Silvio Berlusconi-owned magazine Panorama was influenced by Silvio when it decided to pass on bad intelligence to the Bush administration.
He goes on to explain why, in his opinion, rather than simply blaming her for being a dreadful journalist, he considers her to be ‘a dangerous impostor.’