Silvio Berlusconi hits out at 'humiliating' court appearance

Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi attacked prosecutors yesterday as he arrived in court for the latest in a series of tax fraud and sex trials that have overshadowed Italy's political life for months.

Arriving at the Milan courthouse, he launched a fresh attack on magistrates he claims are trying to destroy his career.

"There is something which is not going in the right direction for a democracy to have government leaders humiliated by having to spend hours in court while these important international events are taking place," he told reporters.

He dismissed the charges against him as "pure invention".

The preliminary hearing is one of a related set of tax fraud cases linked to the billionaire prime minister's media empire.

Berlusconi and a number of others are accused of fraud and embezzlement over television rights. Prosecutors say they were acquired at inflated prices through front companies.