Milan:
A tax fraud trial involving Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi resumed today in his absence in the first of a series of showdowns between the embattled leader and Italy's justice system.
Berlusconi has been asked to answer accusations that his Mediaset business empire engaged in a fraud to make its revenues appear smaller than they really were.
The prosecution alleges the accounting trick allowed the group to build up a slush fund overseas while reducing its tax liabilities in Italy.
The case being heard in Milan was suspended in April last year following the adoption of a law the previous month granting 74-year-old Berlusconi impunity from prosecution for 18 months.
In mid-January the Constitutional Court partially struck down that measure, opening the way for the resumption of the court case.
Today's hearing was likely to be brief and focus on establishing a timetable for future hearings in the case, given that the Italian leader is implicated in three other court cases and that he can also legitimately avoid appearing in court by saying his official duties prevent him from attending hearings.
While Berlusconi was not present in court today, his lawyer Piero Longo said he could be present at the next hearing scheduled for April 11.