Finally, it looks like Silvio Berlusconi will be tried. The judge for preliminary investigations has accepted the request of an immediate trial, put forth by the magistrates who collected a large body of evidence on the recent crimes of the Italian premier. The trial will be held on April 6th... Unless Berlusconi manages to produce the umpteenth law to protect himself from the charges of unlawful conduct he has collected in the past 20 years, effectively putting him above Italian law.

The charges he will face are of exaction ("concussione" is the Italian juridical term) and induction to prostitution of a underage girl (which is a serious crime in Italy). By offering large amounts of money and other goods, he obtained sexual favors from a host of young girls during parties he himself dubbed "bunga bunga". Further, during an extended period of time he indulged in paid sexual practices with a 17-year-old girl. The charge of "concussione" is instead connected to Berlusconi's intervention to free his 17-year-old girl one night, when she had been arrested by the police. He lied to the officials, claiming that the girl was the grand-daughter of Hosni Mubarak in an attempt to justify his interest in avoiding the arrest of the girl. His real interest was instead quite different: the girl was threatening to reveal their relationship if he did not get her out of trouble.

The fact that Berlusconi is a sex addicted old man who spends his time organizing his decadent nights rather than dealing with the troubling economy of Italy is well known and it has even been revealed in files published by wikileaks a few montsh ago. It would be enough to cause his immediate demise in a more balanced country. In Italy, however, he may count in a hard core of supporters, both inside and outside the parliament, who just want him to stay where he is, to protect their own affairs and economical interests and privileges. So despite the embarassing situation that the Italian premier has falled into, he holds on to his power and refuses to resign. It might really take a court ruling to kick him out of palazzo Chigi.

In the meantime, his lawyers and lacqueys are crying at the "golpe" and attempt in all ways to de-legitimate the judges, claiming that Berlusconi should be protected by the assault of the third power of the state -the judiciary one. Whether they will succeed in pulling him out of a trial whose verdict is already written, is still to be seen.