First move to lift Berlusconi's immunity

Berlusconi appears likely to win Italy's next election

MADRID, Spain (Reuters) -- A Spanish judge took the first step on Thursday toward asking the Italian parliament to lift the immunity of Italian politician Silvio Berlusconi.

Judge Baltasar Garzon, who has already asked the European Parliament in Brussels to lift Berlusconi's immunity, wants to extend the request to Italy to allow a full probe of the centre-right politician's Spanish financial dealings.

Berlusconi, a billionaire former prime minister and leader of the opposition, is the candidate of an Italian centre-right coalition for prime minister in elections which are expected to take place soon.

Garzon sent a written motion on Thursday to his superiors on Spain's High Court, who are likely to pass it on to the Supreme Court for forwarding to the Italian parliament.

Garzon, known for his unsuccessful bid to try former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet on human rights charges, is overseeing a probe into tax fraud allegations against Berlusconi stemming from his partial ownership of Spanish television station Tele 5.

Berlusconi, who has faced a series of legal investigations in Italy, says the allegations are baseless and that he is a victim of political persecution.

Forza Italia
European Parliament Web Server

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.