Berlusconi under investigation for bribing a lawyer, as Laura Rozen put it. As I put it: Berlusconi under investigation for bribing a British cabinet minister’s husband. The lawyer, your keen & agile minds will no doubt have guessed, is none other than David Mills, husband of fascinating Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell.
Prosecutors have accused Berlusconi of ordering the payment of at least $600,000 to British lawyer David Mills in 1997 to convince him to give false testimony in two of Berlusconi’s trials on bribery, false bookkeeping and other charges, the newspaper Corriere della Sera reported, citing court documents.
Mills, who is married to British Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell, also is under investigation, the newspaper said.
Mills’ lawyer, Federico Cecconi, confirmed the report’s accuracy but denied the allegations in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. He said prosecutors were investigating Berlusconi and Mills on charges of corruption and providing false testimony.