Premier Addresses Court in Bribery Trial
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From Times Staff and Wire Reports
In the first trial of a governing Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi stood before a court and denied bribery charges, insisting his role in a contested business deal served the best interests of the nation.
Berlusconi is accused of bribing judges in Rome to sway a ruling on the sale of former state-controlled food company SME in the 1980s. Berlusconi says the company was about to be sold too cheaply, so he stepped in after pleas from then-Prime Minister Bettino Craxi.
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