The Italian justice system continued to be hampered by excessively long periods of trial. Silvio Berlusconi, Italy’s wealthiest business figure, and his centre-right coalition won the Italian general election held in 2001.
For the first time in Italian judicial history, the serving Prime Minister is a defendant in criminal trials.
Mr. Berlusconi has faced criminal prosecution in nine cases, but only three out of these have reached the final appeal court.
The tangled relationship between justice and politics carries troubling implications.
Attacks on Justice 2002 – Italy [full text, PDF]