Berlusconi, trial for tax fraud on TV rights was fair: ECHR rejects appeal

The trial for tax fraud on Mediaset TV rights was fair. This was established by the European Court of Human Rights which rejected the appeal that had been presented by Silvio Berlusconi against Italy to the Court of Strasbourg on 28 December 2013.

The founder of Forza Italia had been criminally convicted for a tax evasion plan implemented through Mediaset S.p.A. and other companies of the same group, in relation to the acquisition of television rights. The case, after the appeal presented by Berlusconi, was examined by the ECHR which focused in particular on the issue relating to the impartiality of the judging panel of the Court of Cassation and established that this appeal to the Court of Strasbourg is "manifestly unfounded".

This brings to an end a lawsuit which lasted over ten years and which the heirs of the founder of Forza Italia had decided to continue even after his death.

Every point of the appeal rejected

The European Court of Human Rights unanimously declared that there had been no violation of Article 6 (which establishes the right to a fair trial) of the European Convention on Human Rights. The ECtHR held that a lack of impartiality had not been demonstrated by the Court of Cassation which in August 2013 made the conviction for tax fraud final: the Strasbourg judges therefore effectively confirmed the appellant's conviction for complicity in fraudulent tax declarations.

Silvio Berlusconi had also appealed on other points, such as not having been able to participate in some hearings: even in these cases the ECtHR declared that it "did not detect any apparent violation" and consequently the rest of the appeal is "manifestly unfounded".