This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/uk/8535837.stm

The article has changed 10 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Plea to shelve Mills bribery case Mills bribery conviction quashed
(about 4 hours later)
British tax lawyer David Mills should have his bribery conviction shelved, an Italian prosecutor has said. British tax lawyer David Mills has had his bribery conviction quashed by Italy's top appeals court.
Gianfranco Ciani said time had run out for legal proceedings to continue. The judge said the current trial was beyond the 10-year limit for prosecution set by Italian law.
The estranged husband of UK minister Tessa Jowell faces four and a half years in jail if Italy's top appeals court confirms his guilt. The estranged husband of UK minister Tessa Jowell was convicted in February 2009 of taking a £400,000 bribe from Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi in 1997.
Mills was convicted last February of taking a £400,000 bribe from Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi in 1997 for giving false evidence at one of his trials. The ruling means a parallel corruption case against Mr Berlusconi could also now be dropped.
Offshore companies Tax haven
He had a previous appeal against the conviction rejected in October. Prosecutor Gianfranco Ciani insisted Mills took the bribe, but said the conviction should be overturned because the statute of limitations had expired.
The sentence was upheld by a Milan appeals court, but Mills then lodged a second appeal with the Cassation Court, which will have the final say on the case. Mills had been facing four-and-a-half years in jail.
If the request by the prosecutor is granted by the court, it is likely a parallel corruption case against Mr Berlusconi would also be dropped. He lodged a second appeal with the Cassation Court after a Milan appeals court rejected an earlier appeal in October against the conviction.
Mills, who separated from former Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell in 2006, was one of Mr Berlusconi's consultants on offshore tax havens.Mills, who separated from former Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell in 2006, was one of Mr Berlusconi's consultants on offshore tax havens.
In his trial, the prosecution alleged Mr Berlusconi had paid Mills for not revealing details of offshore companies during two previous trials in 1997 and 1998, in which the lawyer had appeared as an expert witness. The prosecution alleged Mr Berlusconi had paid Mills for not revealing details of offshore companies during two previous trials in 1997 and 1998, in which the lawyer had appeared as an expert witness for the prime minister.
The charges stemmed from a letter Mills sent to a British accountant in 2004, in which he said the £400,000 payment had come from "Mr B".The charges stemmed from a letter Mills sent to a British accountant in 2004, in which he said the £400,000 payment had come from "Mr B".
Mills initially admitted having received money from Mr Berlusconi "in recognition" of the evidence he had given, but later said the money had come from Italian shipping magnate Diego Attanasio.Mills initially admitted having received money from Mr Berlusconi "in recognition" of the evidence he had given, but later said the money had come from Italian shipping magnate Diego Attanasio.
Mr Berlusconi is charged with corrupting Mills, in a parallel trial, the fate of which hangs on Thursday's appeal ruling. Mr Berlusconi is charged with corrupting Mills, in a parallel trial.
Should the Cassation Court confirm the sentence against Mills, it would strengthen the hand of prosecutors in the case against the prime minister. Both men denied the charges.
Both men deny the charges.