Milan prosecutors demand 1 year for Berlusconi
Milan prosecutors demand 1-year sentence for Berlusconi in wiretap trial
MILAN (AP) -- Prosecutors have demanded a one-year sentence for former Premier Silvio Berlusconi for his alleged role in the publication of wiretap transcripts in a newspaper published by his media empire.
Prosecutor Maurizio Romanelli made the request Thursday as the trial of Berlusconi and his brother, the publisher of Milan newspaper Il Giornale, comes to a close. Prosecutors demanded three years and three months for Paolo Berlusconi.
The charge relates to the 2005 publication of a wiretapped call that was part of an investigation into a failed takeover bid.
Berlusconi's lawyer Nicolo Ghedini accuses the court of seeking a speedy verdict to impact national elections expected in February. Berlusconi has vacillated over running.
Ghedini in a statement points out that for years wiretaps of Berlusconi's conversations have been published without judicial probes.
