^ When the statesman in question used his influence to get her out of trouble with the police by claiming she was Mubarak’s grand-daughter.
When the statesman in question has tried to alter laws in order to avoid prosecution while in office for corruption charges.
I suspect that the frustrated prosecuters were simply trying an Al Capone trick: if the law couldn’t get him on racketeering charges, get him on tax exasion. In Berlusconi’s case, if you cannot get him on corruption charges, try get him on other charges. At any rate, the overwhelming number of scandals, even if not breaking any laws, are embarassing the Italians internationally and they’re finally tired of it.
omQ, you could be right, but isn’t it equally possible that they couldn’t get him on anything else because there was nothing to get him on period? (See; Obama birth certificate, etc, etc)
@walrus: Nope, not comparable with the nonsense thrown at Obama. Berlusconi has managed to dodge conviction through a combination of statute of limitations expirations (some of which were altered by his party to get him off the hook) or by changing legal parameters thus getting acquittals. These changes designed with Berlusconi in mind.
He’s dodging conviction not because they don’t have the dirt on him, it’s because he has managed to move the goalposts!
I don’t think Rubygate will have anything legal come about but I think it was the final straw that broke the Italian voters’ backs.
omQ Thanks for the clarification. I’ll still withhold judgement tho’. Partly because of “innnocent till proven guilty” and partly because I’ve been on that trip myself.
OmqR-IV.0 about 12 years ago
^ When the statesman in question used his influence to get her out of trouble with the police by claiming she was Mubarak’s grand-daughter. When the statesman in question has tried to alter laws in order to avoid prosecution while in office for corruption charges. I suspect that the frustrated prosecuters were simply trying an Al Capone trick: if the law couldn’t get him on racketeering charges, get him on tax exasion. In Berlusconi’s case, if you cannot get him on corruption charges, try get him on other charges. At any rate, the overwhelming number of scandals, even if not breaking any laws, are embarassing the Italians internationally and they’re finally tired of it.
Charles Brobst Premium Member about 12 years ago
France wants some of that.
walruscarver2000 about 12 years ago
omQ, you could be right, but isn’t it equally possible that they couldn’t get him on anything else because there was nothing to get him on period? (See; Obama birth certificate, etc, etc)
CorosiveFrog Premium Member about 12 years ago
And you Americans thought you had it bad with Clinton…
annamargaret1866 about 12 years ago
LadetteFrog, yabbut, the Italians, perhaps because they’re less, um, Puritanical than us, do it with so much more verve.
OmqR-IV.0 about 12 years ago
@walrus: Nope, not comparable with the nonsense thrown at Obama. Berlusconi has managed to dodge conviction through a combination of statute of limitations expirations (some of which were altered by his party to get him off the hook) or by changing legal parameters thus getting acquittals. These changes designed with Berlusconi in mind. He’s dodging conviction not because they don’t have the dirt on him, it’s because he has managed to move the goalposts!
I don’t think Rubygate will have anything legal come about but I think it was the final straw that broke the Italian voters’ backs.
walruscarver2000 about 12 years ago
omQ Thanks for the clarification. I’ll still withhold judgement tho’. Partly because of “innnocent till proven guilty” and partly because I’ve been on that trip myself.
walruscarver2000 about 12 years ago
TCL, neither have I. Hey, does that mean I should run for congress?
walruscarver2000 about 12 years ago
tcl, sorry…refers to “no idea”.