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Italy ex-PM Silvio Berlusconi to face bribery trial Italy ex-PM Silvio Berlusconi to face bribery trial
(35 minutes later)
Italian ex-PM Silvio Berlusconi has been ordered to stand trial for the alleged bribery of a senator.Italian ex-PM Silvio Berlusconi has been ordered to stand trial for the alleged bribery of a senator.
Mr Berlusconi is accused of paying a left-wing senator 3m euros ($3.9m) to defect to his right-wing People of Freedom party (PDL) in 2006 and help bring down the government. Berlusconi is accused of paying the left-wing senator 3m euros ($3.9m) to defect to his right-wing People of Freedom party (PDL) in 2006 and help bring down the government.
The senator, Sergio De Gregorio, was sentenced in an earlier plea bargain.The senator, Sergio De Gregorio, was sentenced in an earlier plea bargain.
Mr Berlusconi has been embroiled in a number of trials and says he is the victim of a campaign by the judiciary. Berlusconi has been embroiled in a number of trials and says he is the victim of a campaign by the judiciary.
He has made no immediate comment on the latest ruling.
Also charged in the latest case is Berlusconi's former aide, Valter Lavitola, who is accused of being an intermediary in the alleged bribe.
The defection of Mr De Gregorio, a senator from Naples, weakened the government of Romano Prodi, which collapsed in 2008 and triggered elections that returned Berlusconi to power.
Mr De Gregorio was given a 20-month sentence at an earlier plea bargain hearing in Naples.
The trial is scheduled to start in February.
Berlusconi, 77, has faced a series of court cases in recent years.
On Saturday a court in Milan banned him from holding public office for two years, following his conviction in August for tax fraud.
The ban has still to be voted on in parliament.
A cross-party panel of the Italian Senate has also recommended his expulsion from the chamber, which means he will lose his parliamentary immunity from prosecution in a string of criminal cases.
The votes on his expulsion and ban on holding office are expected to take place within the next few weeks.
Berlusconi is currently appealing against convictions for sex with an underage prostitute, abuse of powers and leaking confidential information.