Italian police raid newspaper owned by the Berlusconi family

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Telegraph

Italian police raid newspaper owned by the Berlusconi family
Italian police have raided the offices of a newspaper owned by the family of Silvio Berlusconi over claims it was planning a muckraking campaign against a respected business leader who has criticised the prime minister.
By Nick Squires in Rome
Published: 10:08PM BST 07 Oct 2010

Italian police have raided the offices of a newspaper owned by the family of Silvio Berlusconi over claims it was planning a muckraking campaign against a respected business leader who has criticised the prime minister.

Investigators alleged that the newspaper, Il Giornale, was preparing to smear Emma Marcegaglia, the highly-respected head of the country's industry employers' association, in retaliation for her questioning of the government's handling of Italy's limping economy.

Il Giornale, which is owned by Mr Berlusconi's brother, has a history of attacking the prime minister's enemies.

In recent weeks it has run a sustained campaign against his former political ally, Gianfranco Fini, who had a poisonous falling out with Mr Berlusconi during the summer and was kicked out of the party he had founded with the billionaire businessman.

Miss Marcegaglia allegedly got wind of the smear campaign and informed magistrates, who authorised police to tap the telephones of senior executives.



Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/8049433/Italian-police-raid-newspaper-owned-by-the-Berlusconi-family.html

[molly77]

1. And Obama wouldn't sign HR 3808 to give the banks

freedom to foreclose without due process. Let's declare today freedom from fascism day.