Italy PM Silvio Berlusconi vows attendance to corruption trial

Berlusconi, who is a defendant in a total of four trials, says he will attend as many hearings as possible in order to prove his innocence. The trial starting today relates directly to one of Berlusconi's media companies.

So farm he has denied claims that he intentionally inflated the price paid to buy television rights, and then skimming off the difference to fund political and other activities.

His son, and a number of others, are accused alongside him. The 74-year-old prime minister has been a defendant in about 50 trials in his career, but has not made a public appearance at one for many years.

Berlusconi exercises his right to stay away, consistently and recurrently accusing the judiciary of at the centre of a politically-biased to undermine his popularity and remove him from power.

But in his latest turn-around, Berlusconi says he will now turn up to as many hearings as his job permits in order to prove his innocence. Another reason why he is due to appear in court is that Berlusconi had his immunity from prosecution watered down in January.

As well as this court case, he also faces two other corruption trials and a fourth where he is accused of paying an underage prostitute. In that trial, Berlusconi faces up to 15 years in jail.

In each case, Berlusconi has claimed complete innocence.

But although the cumulative effect of these sex and corruption scandals have taken their toll on his popularity, there is no immediate threat to his position as prime minister.

He did however flirted with disaster months ago, when he almost lost a vote in parliament as his ruling coalition buckled under the pressure of his sex scandals.