Berlusconi ally: I won't sign law to help premier

Berlusconi ally: I won't OK any law to help premier avoid trial; it could deny justice to all

• On 5:41 am EST, Monday November 9, 2009

ROME (AP) -- One of Premier Silvio Berlusconi's key allies said he won't back any new law to help the conservative leader avoid upcoming trials.

But Gianfranco Fini, the president of the Chamber of Deputies, in remarks carried on TV Monday said other lawmakers "can decide for themselves."

Lawyers for Berlusconi have been scrambling to come up with new legislation after a law granting him temporary immunity from prosecution was struck down last month as unconstitutional. Among reported proposals is one to shorten statutes of limitations so trials looming against Berlusconi could no longer be held.

Fini said on a talk show Sunday night he wouldn't sign any such law because it might "anger" citizens.

"A short statute of limitations could hurt citizens" seeking justice in other cases, Fini said. But he acknowledged that Italy's justice system is plagued by its slow procedures.

Excerpts from Fini's appearance were carried on Italian TV and in newspapers Monday.

The two allies have been squabbling lately, and Fini has distanced himself from Berlusconi, who is dogged by a sex scandal as well as legal woes.

Tensions among allies have been rising as political groupings in Berlusconi's center-right government gear up for next spring's regional elections, which could give them more clout in the coalition.

Trial has been set to resume Nov. 16 against Berlusconi in a tax fraud case involving his broadcaster Mediaset's purchase of TV rights. News reports have said Berlusconi's lawyers might aim for postponement because the premier needs to attend a food summit in Rome that day.

Later this month, another trial, involving corruption charges, is scheduled to go ahead against Berlusconi.

The premier has described himself as a victim of left-leaning prosecutors who side with the opposition.

Fini also seem to suggest that Berlusconi has been treated harshly by magistrates since the media mogul entered politics in the early 1990s.

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