Judge drops some fraud charges against Tessa Jowell's husband

Published on 16/01/2007 00:06

CHARGES of tax fraud and receiving stolen goods were yesterday thrown out against David Mills, the estranged husband of Cabinet minister Tessa Jowell, as part of his corruption trial with controversial former Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi.

Judge Edoardo D'Avossa ruled that a statute of limitations brought in by Mr Berlusconi's government meant time limits for the charges had expired and they could not be proceeded with.

However a charge of money laundering between August 1993 and July 1994 and a further charge of tax fraud between 1999 and 2000 did remain against Mr Mills.

Mr Mills, a corporate lawyer, was drawn into the corruption trial being heard in Milan because of his business dealings with Mr Berlusconi, a close friend of Tony Blair.

Judge D'Avossa ruled that charges of embezzlement, tax fraud and false accounting against Mr Berlusconi for the period up until 1999 should also be dropped.

Mr Mills acted for Mr Berlusconi in the early 1990s and set up for him a number of offshore companies for his Fininvest business empire through which funds from his Mediaset TV company passed.

Prosecutors allege that through these accounts Mr Berlusconi, as Mediaset's majority shareholder, siphoned off a total of 280 million (200 million) from the firm's coffers.