Italian Prime Minister to sue local, foreign media

Silvio Berlusconi, Italy's Prime Minister, and business tycoon, is planning to launch a lawsuit against the country's media and other nations.

The leader of the People of Freedom political movement is planning to sue Italy's media and other nations such as France and Spain. The Prime Minister even ordered his lawyers to study cases in Great Britain for possible libel cases there. Sivlio Berlusconi's attorney Niccolo Ghedini told Reuters, "We have instructed our colleagues to evaluate, according to the laws in their countries, the most serious cases of real, true defamation." The Italian entrepreneur's lawyers further told Reuters that he plans on suing French weekly Nouvel Observateur for an article that was published as "Sex, Power and Lies" and Spain's El Pais for posting photographs of guests and visitors at Berlusconi's Sardinian villa cavorting naked. Ghedini declined to answer what other publications could be faced with a lawsuit, especially regarding British papers who have taken a special interest in Berlusconi's private affairs. He said, "[British papers] have indeed been aggressive, but I have not looked at this article by article, I have left that to my colleagues. I have enough to do here in Italy." He has already sued Italy's La Repubblica for reposting Nouvel Observateur story. La Repubblica has consistently criticized the Conservative Prime Minister and published its "10 questions" regarding his personal life and political aspirations. The Conservative leader, owner of Italy's largest television broadcaster Mediaset, has also accused main competitor Rupert Murdoch, owner of News Corp., of creating personal attacks in London's newspaper The Times, which is also owned by Murdoch. Citing an example of one of the allegations, Berlusconi's lawyer said, "If you say to someone 'You are sick and have a sexual addiction' and ask how they intend to get cured, you are taking it for granted that this person is ill." Italy's Prime Minister has been elected three times and is residing at high levels of popularity, even with a recession and all the recent scandals affecting Berlusconi's life. He is the country's third richest man with personal assets of just under $10 billion, according to an article in Forbes.