Berlusconi's defence sums up ahead of landmark ruling

Italy braced today for a landmark ruling in a tax fraud case against former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi that could eject the billionaire tycoon from parliament and upset the recession-hit country's fragile coalition government.
Lawyers made their final arguments at Italy's highest court in Rome in the case involving the scandal-tainted 76-year-old playboy.
The three-time former premier, at his last appeal, was given a sentence of a year in prison and a five-year ban from parliament, which has been suspended pending this final appeal.
"The sentence is lacking any evidence that Berlusconi could have participated in the crime," his lawyer, Niccolo Ghedini, told the court.

If he loses his case, it would be the first ever definitive conviction for Berlusconi, who has been dogged by legal woes for over two decades.
A victory would be a boost for the ageing playboy, who has always either been acquitted or seen charges dropped after his lawyers succeeded in drawing out legal proceedings beyond the statute of limitations.
Shares in Berlusconi's Mediaset business empire meanwhile fell 1.61 percent on the Milan stock exchange and the Il Sole 24 Ore business daily said the situation was "potentially explosive" for Italy.