Milan prosecutor Tiziana Siciliano said on Wednesday that Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is seriously ill and his trial on charges of bribing witnesses should be temporarily suspended, according to Reuters.
Berlusconi, 84, has been in and out of hospital this year after contracting COVID-19 last September, and speculation has mounted in recent days over a deterioration of his health.
„We definitely believe Berlusconi is seriously ill and is suffering from a serious disease. This is what medical certificates and consultancies show,” said Siciliano.
Speaking during a hearing for a case connected to one in which Berlusconi was acquitted of having sex with an underage girl nicknamed ‘Ruby’, Siciliano said Berlusconi should be temporally exempted from standing trial.
The judge will decide on whether to separate Berlusconi’s position from the other defendants on May 26, when there will be a new hearing.
The four-time Prime Minister has been accused of bribing witnesses to stay silent over the underage prostitution case, starting in 2013 and he has always denied any wrongdoing.
The media tycoon left Milan’s San Raffaele Hospital after a five-day stay on Saturday. He was hospitalised in March and twice in April and also went to hospital in January due to a heart problem.