Court Rejects Paolo Berlusconi's Recusal and Orders Him to Testify in Baiardo Trial
The tribunal found article 199 inapplicable because Silvio Berlusconi is not an accused in the Florence proceeding, a ruling that clears the way for Paolo’s courtroom account to be heard.
Overview
- Paolo Berlusconi testified in Florence on Wednesday that he met Salvatore Baiardo on 14 February 2011, that Baiardo said he wanted to tell ‘unpleasant things’ about Silvio Berlusconi, and that Paolo cut the meeting short and had him removed.
- The judge, presiding in Aula 28 of the Tribunale di Firenze, denied Paolo’s request to abstain under article 199 of the code of criminal procedure because Silvio is not an accused in this separate trial.
- Prosecutors opposed the recusal request and the court said article 199 applies only when the relative is an accused in the same proceeding, a decision that settles a disputed procedural point central to the day’s hearing.
- Earlier testimony from a member of the Berlusconi security detail established that Baiardo was admitted alone to Paolo despite having been convicted in 1997 for aiding Giuseppe and Filippo Graviano, raising questions about access and vetting.
- The episode ties back to long-running probes into the 1992–93 bombings, several archival decisions including on Marcello Dell’Utri, and public attention sparked by a 2023 TV appearance that led Paolo to send a scathing message to media owner Urbano Cairo.