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Europe - new material (44)

01 August 2003

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Lo chiamavano impunitá. Peter Gomez and Marco Travaglio, Editori Riuniti, July 2003, pp. 444, 14.50 Euro. This book, subtitled "The true story of the SME case and everything that Berlusconi is hiding from Italy and Europe", is a detailed study of the SME trial, a case in which Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi was involved until a tailor-made immunity law was passed to prevent high level institutional figures (including the prime minister) from undergoing criminal proceedings. The charges against Berlusconi, lawyer Cesare Previti (who was a former defence minister under Berlusconi), and judges including Renato Squillante the former chief of the Gip office in Rome (judges for preliminary investigations) are those of setting up a corruption ring and using it to influence trials, including one on the sale of the state food giant SME. Judges have gathered evidence tracing payments originating in accounts belonging to Fininvest ending up in accounts held by Squillante, via Previti, through a network of secret bank accounts held abroad by the accused. A detailed account of the persistent delays and efforts to derail the trial, intimidate witnesses and to discredit judges by the defence, leading up to the decree that granted Berlusconi immunity.

The new EU Constitution: The intergovernmental conference on the new Constitution for Europe is entering its final stages. The Italian Presidency of the Council of the European Union hopes to complete the process by the end of the year and to adopt it by May 2004 when the ten accession countries join the EU. Full details are on the Statewatch site on: www.statewatch.org/euconstitution.htm

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