http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/04/us-italy-berlusconi-idUSBRE9930ER20131004
Berlusconi, who has dominated Italian politics
for the past two decades, did not attend the hearing but denounced the
procedure as a maneuver by his political enemies to remove him.
"There
is no possibility of any defense and there is no reason to appear
before a body which has already announced what decision it is going to
take through the press," he said in a statement issued through his
lawyers.
The cross-party committee
of 23 senators that met on Friday is dominated by lawmakers from the
center-left Democratic Party (PD) and opposition parties including the
anti-establishment 5-Star Movement, who have said they will vote to
strip Berlusconi of his seat in the upper house.
The
judgment, expected later on Friday, would have to be confirmed around
two weeks later by a full vote of the Senate, which is also dominated by
Berlusconi adversaries.
After a
public hearing in the morning, the committee met in a closed-door
session and is expected to reach a decision in the afternoon, although
it could delay a judgment until the weekend.
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