Berlusconi begins presidency with Nazi jibe | Times Online: Italy's presidency of the European Union got off to a rough start today when Silvio Berlusconi, the Prime Minister, caused uproar by likening a German MEP to the commandant of a Nazi concentration camp. [...] As Romano Prodi, the EU Commission President and political adversary looked at the ceiling, Signor Berlusconi swung on to the offensive, with his voice rising and finger jabbing. His accusers knew nothing of Italy, he said. "You are just democracy tourists. If you come to Italy and actually listen and watch you will see that the Italian media are independent." He singled out Martin Schulz, a German Social Democrat, who had treated him to a particularly virulent attack over his immunity and a suggestion from Umberto Bossi, Minister for Constitutional Reform, that illegal immigrants should be shot. "Mr Schulz, I know there is in Italy a man producing a film on the Nazi concentration camps. I would like to suggest you for the role of commandant. You would be perfect."
My goodness.
I should imagine that Europeans are abruptly very thankful indeed that the rotating EU presidency is only for six months.
But a very entertaining six months it should be for them.
Berlusconi granted immunity \ BBCNews: The Italian parliament has approved a law which will make Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi immune from prosecution as long as he holds the job. The decision by the lower house of parliament to pass the immunity bill will almost certainly kill off a current corruption trial against Mr Berlusconi in Milan. The upper house, the Senate, had already passed the bill. Critics say the bill has been rushed through parliament to spare Mr Berlusconi the potential embarrassment of a guilty verdict during Italy's six-month presidency of the European Union which begins shortly. [...] By the time Mr Berlusconi has left his post, too much time will have elapsed for a resumption of the Milan trial to be legally possible.
Interesting. I don't know that similar laws exist in any state in the union. (We know from long and painful experience during the Clinton/Paula Jones mess that no such law exists at the federal level.) I can't imagine that if such laws exist in the US that the statute of limitations on any particular event wouldn't be suspended for as long as the person is in office. It might be in the common interest to spare your officeholders from being distracted by an ongoing court proceeding, but it's certainly not in the common interest to keep them out of court forever by having such laws.
Posted by iain at July 02, 2003 01:45 PMComments
