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Berlusconi always manages to get away
Posted Saturday, March 28, 2009 in Holland
[de Volkskrant]

Surprising as citizens and mass media to accept his lies

From correspondent in Italy I often feel like Keanu Reeves in the movie The Matrix, or Jim Carrey in the Truman Show. It is a feeling appalling living and working in a democracy of Western Europe who was among the founders of the European Union and is part of prominent international forums like the G8, and yet feel like the characters who are struggling distressing film about illusion and reality.

But Italy's Silvio Berlusconi gives any reason. Fifteen years after the entry of Berlusconi in Italian politics, the country away from democratic values \u200b\u200bincreasingly essential.

Neo (Reeves) and Truman Burbank (Carrey) in The Matrix and The Truman Show they realize that their entire lives by setting the script of a powerful director. But I do not see their surprise and concern about in no way reflected in the reaction of people around them, all behave exactly as if nothing unusual happened, or simply do not realize it. Those who try to follow and understand politics and society in Italy will inevitably have the same experience.

Corrupt

The comparison to the attention very clearly last month. On the afternoon of Tuesday, February 17 appeared on the websites of the major Italian newspapers, a news titled 'David Mills was corrupt': Sentenced to four years and six months.

was about a bombshell: the Milan court had recognized the British lawyer David Mills guilty of corruption for accepting $ 600,000 from Silvio Berlusconi in the nineties, in return for making false testimony in two corruption cases instituted against the contractor-politician. The verdict against Mills was highly incriminating for the Italian prime minister of Italy, because if there is a corrupt, there must be a corruptor.



But strange things have happened in Italy a couple of strange things with this news. To begin several newspapers have written the sentence in quotation marks, as if it were not a legal fact but merely a personal opinion as to challenge with ease. This fact is immediately successful. The site

Web of Corriere della Sera, a newspaper in Italy with regard, several readers have questioned the decision of the court in Milan. "Because this ruling comes just 24 hours after the elections in Sardinia?" Asks one of them. Berlusconi's party, the People of Freedom (PDL), had won those regional elections by an overwhelming majority, the Italian island is back after a long time in the right hand, which caused great excitement in the environments of the PDL.

The judges have deliberately tried to spoil the party with their sentences, he believed the player mentioned above.

Another took another step forward. That "yet another decision made to ruin the party, "warns the judges," will only serve to strengthen our premier and his coalition, and above all keep it up and disappear automatically, hello, hello ".

As such, this reaction could be stored as emotional outbursts of avid supporters of Berlusconi. But strangely the Italian media have given it quite right. While the news was examined in depth on foreign broadcasters such as CNN and the BBC, the interesting news was grazed by Italian television. On

RaiUno RaiDue and the topic has been stuck in barely a minute in the late evening edition. On two of the three commercial networks of the Berlusconi verdict was completely ignored.

Judgement

And he was referring to the channel that the sentence, the reporter found still called the episode a corruption of "assumed pay" made by Berlusconi's Fininvest company, and closed its mini service with a long quotation from a parliamentary party of Berlusconi, who said that the President of the Court of Milan "is clearly antagonistic to the person of Silvio Berlusconi from the political point of view."

How can this happen? How can you deny and distort reality so easily and massively? For years, the international press points out the massive conflict of interest from the Premier.
Everyone knows
Silvio Berlusconi as the great man behind more than seventy companies, grouped in Mega Holdings as Mondadori (the largest publisher of newspapers, books and magazines in Italy), Mediaset (the largest television holding company of the country), Mediolanum ( financial services) and the football club AC Milan.

tangle of interests

Berlusconi controls most of the Italian media and is therefore called by many foreign newspapers 'entrepreneur-political' or 'premier-media mogul'. However, these words say too little about how this tangle of interests influence on Italian society. In general

Berlusconi is considered man-talking and easy smile carved on marpione redone with the patent on the embarrassing jokes (like the one about Barack Obama, which he called "young, beautiful and even tan" 'a couple of hours after the election of that 'last as President of the United States). As prime minister of Italy is therefore in the eyes of many a fool not to be taken too seriously. But these qualities by rascal conceals his unlimited power and influence that affect even the DNA of Italy - and unfortunately not in a positive way.

Its commercial broadcasters, its weekly review of "Panorama," the newspaper "The Newspaper "(Paul's brother) and a long list of family newspapers, line up every day with their master without shame. This forms servility reaches so high that the TV journalist as well as chief editor of the issuer Rete4 can get excited reading the news live the electoral victory of Berlusconi.

For the majority of Italian television is the main source of information, and is almost completely under the control of Berlusconi loyalists.

Ways rude

At the same time, the opposition members are thrown to the ground in an unusually rude. The most militant opponent of Berlusconi, Antonio Di Pietro, has long been called 'the Executioner', or 'threshers' in the various categories of news, which continue to show his less flattering picture, that immortalize the burly Di Pietro on the tractor, in shorts.

This bizarre approach 'journalism' is not based on a kind of natural loyalty 'of employees, but by specific orders. The Italian-American journalist Alexander Stille cites in his biography of Berlusconi "The Sack of Rome" (translated in Dutch as "Silvio Berlusconi / in love van de Rome), a former deputy editor of Il Giornale, that ranged about Berlusconi gave orders for the preparation in the nineties: "We have to sing in harmony on issues important to us (...) You, the editors, you must understand that we must begin an offensive aimed with all our means against anyone who shot him. If those who attack us are unjustly punished using all the different media of our group, the aggression ends. "

RAI

In the role of prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi calls for more or less the same apathy by government employees, especially within the issuer's state RAI. During the conflict in Iraq, which had the support of the previous Berlusconi government, RAI journalists could not define the opponents of the war "protesters for peace" or "peace", but had to call them "unruly."

'Are you an employee of the state!' Berlusconi called out against critical television journalist Michele Santoro a couple of years ago during a television broadcast, restoring order. Santoro wanted to take the floor to Mr Berlusconi, who was in line phone, because they refused to answer questions from the journalist, and just wanted to criticize the way to work Santoro.

criminal

During a press conference in Bulgaria Berlusconi accused Santoro and two other journalists have done a 'criminal use of public television'. The three had dared to make a transmission criticism of the prime minister. In what has since become famous as 'the edict Bulgarian', the prime minister demanded that the management of the issuer 'would not permit more that certain things happen'. A few months after the three had disappeared from the screen.

Italy as a democratic country is much worse than many believe. This shows the measures for limiting the freedom that this government is taking or preparation (such as prison for journalists who publish wiretaps of suspects, political pressure on doctors and teachers to report illegal immigrants to the police, the limitation dell'indipendenaza judiciary). But

the poor state of affairs is revealed especially in the way in which the press and public apathy ultimately react to such plans. Italy surrenders to the reality more and more highly colored which is duped by the apparatus of power of Berlusconi.

Badly

Sure, newspapers and journals of opinion such as La Repubblica, the Unit and the espresso continue to go hard against the prime minister when needed. But I am preaching in the wilderness, the two major Italian newspapers with a circulation of only 1.3 million out of a population of nearly 60 million.

Television is for the vast majority of Italians are the main source of information, and now almost all under monitoring of people trusted Berlusconi.

Moreover, even newspapers outside the Berlusconi empire feel his strong arm. Like the Turin newspaper La Stampa, owned by Fiat. 'Given the situation in the Fiat, La Stampa is not in the position to express criticism of Berlusconi, and this is equally valid for many other newspapers', so the editor in Stille Giulio Anselmi in the Sack of Rome. 'In addition to the newspapers he owns, everything there is a concentric circle of newspapers that depend directly or indirectly by him'. The damper



opposition leader Antonio Di Pietro said in his book The damper [in Italian with translation in the text, ndt], as has been apostrophe "murderess' two boys, while walking in Piazza Duomo in Milan.

A time of Peter was the hero of the country for millions of Italians in its role as a prosecutor the broad anti-corruption "Clean Hands" operation, which wiped out an entire generation of politicians and businessmen in the early cheaters nineties. 'This incident,' said Di Pietro about the incident in Piazza Duomo in Milan, 'shows that those guys at home are bombarded with false information from television'. After a decade

and a half, this modern indoctrination is giving so many fruits that Berlusconi dares to deny even the most indisputable truth.

Protests

For example, last year during the massal student protest against planned cuts in education. The students had occupied faculties of several universities, much to the annoyance of Berlusconi. 'Today I will give to the Minister of Interior, detailed instructions on how to intervene using the mobile units,' said the premier at a press conference.

When the opposition cried scandal, a day after Berlusconi said Bella had never threatened with the mobile units. Again was wrongly quoted by journalists. But all they could see and hear that the Prime Minister had actually said, his comments were broadcast by radio and TV.

Despite overwhelming evidence that Mr Berlusconi was hardened its position. And with success. Giacchè what they said on the evening TV news? 'The prime minister says he was misquoted'.

Democracy

In a healthy democracy journalists in service would have at least done quickly review the images of the press conference in question, thus allowing the viewer to conclude on its own if the prime minister was rimbecillito or not. But no. 'Hopefully, you can review our broadcast Yesterday on the internet, 'he whispered, the political editor of RaiUno at the end of the service.

Considering the situation prevailing in the Matrix Italy, his comments sounded almost like a heroic act of resistance.

Eric Arends is the Rome correspondent for the Volkskrant

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Paolo and Vittorio Biondani Malagutti
A mysterious list. With 552 "big names". They are all well-known industrialists and professionals in the north-east. Who have cheated the Italian Treasury. With a Swiss lawyer. Finished in San Vittore
Kerrville is a town in Texas. A few houses, few people and few roads in a desolate landscape. We must start from here, from the American West, to tell a story of ill repute very Italian. There are hundreds of millions of euro in tax and escape from a swarm of diverse characters: a Swiss lawyer specializing in offshore companies, an accountant with frequent visits of high rim and a platoon of celebrity entrepreneurs looking for a shortcut to save on taxes . Need an address out of the way to park your money? Here Kerville, Texas, home to the financial group WMK, safe organization.
For years the system worked to perfection: absolute confidentiality and piles of money for everyone. Then, the unexpected. In the first weekend in February, enters the Guardia di Finanza. With an operation prepared for months, the team of police of yellow flames in Milan puts his hands on a list of over 500 names, to be exact 552. There are entrepreneurs and companies, complete with a bank account, shell companies and an endless series of invoices issued by Italy to foreign countries. Money leaving the Peninsula and land in tax havens. For the prosecutor in Milan, is a mine of information of extraordinary value.

The list of the 552 was kept in a file on the laptop Fabrizio Pessina Swiss lawyer, born in 1946. A long-time professional based in Chiasso, a few meters across the border. Landed at Malpensa airport on his return from a brief holiday in Marbella, Pessina was arrested on charges of money laundering. Involved in the investigation and its major customer, the Milanese businessman Giuseppe Grossi. But the analysis of the data stored on that computer displays for years to investigators that Grossi's really just a name among many. In three decades of honorable service Swiss lawyer specializing in tax havens has built a network of contacts, much branched. They refer to him a large number of industrialists and professionals, mostly concentrated in the Northeast, in the end a high density of small and medium-sized companies ranging from Brescia to Treviso. Customers like the group Greggio, silver label based in the province of Padua. Or Verona Cordioli family, which produces and processes aluminum, zinc and copper. And yet, still by way of example, the Brescia Innocent Adherents. Dozens of people, mostly little known to the general public, but, overall, can move hundreds of millions of euro.
the main reference Pessina are obviously banking giant Credit Swiss, starting dall'Ubs. In Italy, however, in many transactions recorded in the list of Chiasso lawyer is quoted as Bank of Mb, a small institution recently born in Milan on the initiative of a few dozen entrepreneurs from the second row. Among the promoters of a historical name stands out as national finance Giuseppe Garofano, the manager, president The time of the Ferruzzi Montedison, has always been close to Opus Dei. Pessina are the first customers of the bank's shareholders. And as the administrator of Mb, from 2003 until March 2006, check the accountant Siro Zanoni, longtime collaborator of the same Pessina.


But it is not just a matter of banks. For at least ten years, the attorney is under arrest Chiasso hours going steady with Mario Merello, a professional with great success, judging from personal assets. Residence in St. Moritz, but also at home in Monaco, Merello last summer launched its new 50-meter yacht named Marcel in honor of his wife, singer Marcella Bella. His treasure, the real one, however, is an enormous wealth of contacts, some very high level, families and entrepreneurs in managing the funds. Pessina's partner for years in the sailing world of entertainment, including VIP perceived or real popular on social occasions with his wife Marcella. In Milan, however, the most active Merello is well established within the stock market and high finance. Long been acknowledged, for example, the family Ligresti. It is said that he was instructed by Silvano Pontello, the banker, who died in 2002, which in turn increased the school bankrupt Michele Sindona and later rose to the top of Banca Antonveneta. Ancient times, those. Merello since then has come a long way, dancing with great skill and friendship between capital Lugano, Milan and Monaco. In a career so lucky to be recorded only one accident. In 1998 Sec Americans pinched by a history of insider trading (abuse of confidential information in stock) on Wall Street. Everything was closed with a simple fine. A small thing for a guy like Merello, who by now was traveling at full speed. In fact, a few years time, here at the wheel of WMK of Texas. This holding U.S. pulls the strings of a more complex structure. There is a WMK based in Luxembourg, which in turn has opened an office in Lugano. At the Luxembourg subsidiary, according to the latest published financial statements (dated 2007), is part of a collection of about 300 million euro. Invested, as stated in the documentation Journal, unspecified "securities."
Now, after the arrest of Pessina and accounting, all the affairs of the group WMK will be sieved by the Guardia di Finanza, such as those of its partners Merello. The criminal investigation of the Prosecutor of Milan, entrusted to Pedio pm Laura and Gaetano Ruta, is just the first chapter, but promises surprises sensational. The only customer Pessina that is already possible to draw conclusions is precisely Grossi, who with his Green Holding SpA has managed the environmental remediation of Montecity, the Milan area where the property developer Luigi Zunino is building the new district of Santa Giulia. The Swiss lawyer was arrested on charges of having recycled 14 million and a half € created by inflating its costs of that remediation. But now the documents seized in the raids have already pushed up the funds to 25 million blacks. And in the last interrogation in prison, Pessina said he had paid that money on a network of foreign accounts registered to family members, directors and nominees of the same Grossi, at this point is itself under investigation for tax fraud.

But now the prosecutor's investigation go far beyond the case Grossi. Targeted by the Guardia di Finanza is the long list of clients and society in the discovery of computer Pessina. This list of 552 names can be compared, as an order of magnitude, the now famous list of the Italians with the account in Vaduz. With some important differences. The list of Vaduz, released last March by the leaders of the Inland Revenue (those appointed by the Prodi government and later removed), was purchased by paying an unnamed German intelligence official who, in 2002, had secretly copied the archives Liechtenstein bank's computer where she worked. Those foreign deposits, therefore, were dated and in many cases had already been regularized using the two tax shields launched between 2001 and 2003 by Minister Tremonti. The computer Pessina, however, contains very recent data, updated to Friday, January 31, 2009, indeed probably the weekend arrest. The list of Vaduz, also contained 390 names, almost all of the Centre-North but they were mostly gathered in family groups or corporate, which accounted for only 157 positions in banking: the total deposits amounted to 1 billion and 337 million euro. Guests of the Swiss trustee who is now in San Vittore are concentrated in Lombardy and Veneto. Their professional identikit are equivalent to those of subjects appeared in the list of Vaduz. But this time the number seems calculated to default. As shown in 'The Express', in fact, many of the 552 names is more of a foreign account and display more than one company. Some of the names and surnames coincide with family of bankers of standing, assault financiers, business executives Lombard entrepreneurs especially from North-East but any conclusion is premature: the investigations are the first few bars and police are still working to rebuild the actual identity of customers, avoiding mistakes or instances of the same name.


transactions recorded in the computer are thousands of Pessina. There are credits recorded since 1996. For other customers the information covers only the most recent years. But the most interesting perhaps is another: in that laptop also appear the names of other trustees. Which could then point to further sub-pyramids and pyramids of Italian clients with accounts abroad. In this context, is the highest level of personal and professional contacts to Merello, the member Strong Pessina, to suggest to develop excellent. The external accounts to which the Milan prosecutor's office has denied the charges of tax fraud are made out to offshore companies of the various tax havens, from Madeira to Delaware, however, that in fact only serve to manage deposits in Swiss banks. The arrest of Pessina has created great embarrassment to the federal government, already shaken by the recent international controversy over bank secrecy. Pessina has been for two years, from 1991 to 1993, chairman of the Bar of the Canton Ticino. And in San Vittore, has just received the official visit by a diplomat: the Swiss consul.
(March 26, 2009)



Montecity Survey, For the entrepreneur victim
gip di Milano Fabrizio D'Arcangelo who issued an order of remand in prison for the lawyer Fabrizio Pessina, Giuseppe Anastasi and Paul Pasqualetto on charges of money laundering, "the over-invoicing of the costs of remediation" Project Montecity-Santa Giulia, in the 'hinterland of Milan, "is proven by numerous consulting contracts, brokering, obtaining customers, apparently functional operations of transport, storage and disposal of waste generated within the project Montecity-Santa Giulia, which provide for the payment, did take place, unintended benefits. " The three people meet recycling arrested "without preconditions competitions in the crimes of embezzlement and fraud committed against the company 'in a pool of temporary undertakings entrusted with the project Montecity Spa", which is headed by entrepreneur Luigi Zunino, drainage, appointments, 'area Rogoredo-Santa Giulia. The investigation had resulted from a request for assistance of the 'German court that had investigated six German nationals in relation to disposal of hazardous waste from, inter alia, by' ex-industrial area Montecity Rogoredo. (AGI)

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kisses and kisses

Kiss dangerous Alfano
Republic - February 5, 2002 Page 1 Section: PALERMO

Another kiss, another marriage "embarrassing" and remains dangerous liaisons with men of Cosa Nostra. But this time the 'excellent host is not an "old man" of politics, or Andreotti Mannino, but a young dolphin, Angelino Alfano, a national deputy of Forza Italy, Gianfranco Micciche protégé. Its a brilliant career that now risks being overshadowed by a kiss, the one with Cross Naples mafia boss of Palma de Lichtenberg, who died last year 's. A kiss with the boss to the wedding of his daughter Gabriella, who married in the 'summer of' 96 when Alfano had just been elected deputy regional. He, today, denies Cross Naples and had never known nor remembered having participated in the marriage of her daughter. But a videotape of the wedding it denies. Courses and historical claims. In the legal problems of political relationships with the boss and the dangerous men 's honor, almost always there' is half a kiss, a gift and a participation in a marriage of the son or daughter of a mafia boss. The "kiss" for excellence is alleged, said the penitent Balduccio Di Maggio, between the 'former prime minister Giulio Andreotti and Toto Riina, and the gift, too', it alleged, that intended for Angela Salvo, daughter of 'tax collector Salemi Nino Salvo on the occasion of his marriage to Gaetano Sangiorgi. Then c 'is the participation of' ex-minister Calogero Mannino at the wedding of a son of the boss Caruana. Episode in the middle of the trial against the leader of dc which was recently acquitted.


Now check another marriage, a gift and kiss the groom and the bride. And to her father, the boss of Palma de Lichtenberg, Cross Naples, who died a year ago. The 'guest of' honor of the marriage between Gabriella Napoli, daughter of the boss, and Francesco Provenzani, celebrated in the 'summer of 1996, is the darling of Gianfranco Micciche, Agrigento, Angelo Alfano, a former deputy regional leader to' regional assembly , currently deputy national. The kiss and the gift to the bride, the groom and the boss, is documented by a movie (with audio) over a 'now that begins with the final touches to the bride's dress and makeup and goes with the religious ceremony, the banquet in a great hotel to' Shadow of the Valley of the Temples, the dance between the bride and groom, with the thanks boxes and bags of confetti to all invitees. The presence of Angelo Alfano is recorded in mid-ceremony, shortly after the bride and groom cut the wedding cake. The member of Forza Italy is the space between the crowd that surrounds the couple and a parcel in his hand, his wedding gift to newlyweds. 'S arrival of' Mr is greeted by a chorus of 'what an honor, that honor ~'. The bride and groom are excited in the presence of fresh member of Forza Italy. Alfano first kiss the bride congratulated her, then kissed the groom. Finally, the 'embrace and kiss with the bride's father, the Naples mafia boss Croce, owner of a highly respected criminal record is arrested for criminal association, conspiracy to kidnapping, accessory to murder and indicated by the investigators as "head of the' homonymous mafia gang headed by Cosa Nostra, operating in Palma de Lichtenberg and neighboring towns. " Not exactly a stranger. Then the deputy delivered the gift in the hands of the bride and apologizes for the delay in the marriage: "I'm sorry, but I have not had time, I was in Milan and have only recently arrived in Agrigento. Alfano is surrounded by other guests who would like to thank the presence, speak of this and that and after a while ', having congratulated the bride and groom, greet and go away. But this marriage, Angelo Alfano, that the regional elections of '96 drew almost 9,000 votes, making it the first of those elected in the province of Agrigento, says he does not remember anything. "I never participated in a Mafia wedding or their children, do not know his wife, Gabriella, I've never heard of Mr. Cross Naples that she was said to be boss of Palma Montechiaro.


And when we say that c 'is a video that proves its participation in the marriage of the daughter of the boss and kiss the boss, Alfano replies: "I have no memory or no memory of this marriage, careful to publish news like that. " The images, however, seem clear: marriage, gift, kiss the bride and groom and the boss of Palma Montechiaro.