Sunday, February 20, 2011

Berlusconi wants to relaunch the global gag rule and immunity

The Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, wants to revive the controversial 'gag rule' that limits the use and dissemination of tapping in criminal investigations and stalled in parliament last June, and the immunity of MPs, reported Italian media on Friday. Both issues were addressed at the Cabinet meeting held today in Rome, during which adopted a first draft of the reform of justice, one of the workhorses of the Executive and which provides, inter alia, separation careers of judges and prosecutors and the granting of more powers to the Minister of Justice.

The Italian media, which quoted a ruling party parliamentary People of Freedom (PDL), indicate that Berlusconi said it was necessary to move forward quickly reform and stressed the need to proceed with the gag rule and immunity. Thus, Berlusconi would be waiting to complete the extension of the conservative majority in the Chamber of Deputies, where it currently has a fragile lead after the split last summer, his former ally Gianfranco Fini and his supporters of the LDP by gross differences then carry out those initiatives.

The source quoted by Italian media does not specify what text you want to boost Berlusconi: The party submitted its original or approved it left the Senate but it stalled in the House of Representatives, due in large measure, the group led by Fini , Future and Freedom (FLI). Essentially, the law provided for limiting the use of eavesdropping in police investigations and even punished with jail journalists who publish their content measures that provoked sharp criticism from the opposition and the press and led to numerous protests and demonstrations.

Berlusconi also discussed the reform of Article 68 of the Constitution by reintroducing the immunity, the source said. The idea of reviving these standards comes at a difficult moment for the president, that from April 6 will be judged by the Court of Milan for the crime of child prostitution and abuse of power.

A trial decided by Judge Cristina Di Censo on Monday, following a request by the Milan prosecutor, who based much of his research on wiretaps Berlusconi environment, which have been leaked by the press creating a stir in the country . Indeed, on Friday the Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, coincided with the first Italian prime minister after the ruling.

The meeting took place at the Italian Embassy to the Holy See to celebrate the 82 anniversary of the Lateran Pacts (1929), which represented the birth of the State of Vatican City, an act that was also attended by Italian President Giorgio Napolitano, and the head of the Italian bishops, Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco.

Berlusconi and Bertone, according to local press, did not maintain a conversation face to face alone, but participated in the meeting between Vatican and Italian delegations. Italian Prime Minister, who himself had a brief conversation with Cardinal Bagnasco, said only after the event that "all was well, as usual."

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