Angelino Alfano is steering through parliament a bill that could halt Silvio Berlusconi's trial for alleged bribery
Silvio Berlusconi has named as his likely successor a Sicilian minister who is poised to steer through parliament a bill that could halt the trial in which Italy's prime minister is accused of bribing his British lawyer, David Mills.
Speaking to foreign correspondents at a dinner on Tuesday night, the 74-year-old Berlusconi said he would not stand at the next general election in 2013 and indicated that Angelino Alfano, his 40-year-old justice minister, was the person to whom he intended entrusting his party.
The dinner, attended by the Guardian, was held on an off-the-record basis. But a detailed account of the proceedings was leaked to the Italian news agency Ansa and published early on Wednesday. Additional reports appeared subsequently in the Italian media.
According to the body that oversees the judiciary, some 14,000 trials would be halted by the new measure, which was being debated on Wednesday amid raucous scenes in the chamber of deputies, the lower house of parliament. The bill would apply a guillotine to legal proceedings in a court system notorious for delays.
Critics maintain it is the latest of several measures expressly crafted to enable the prime minister escape justice. But Berlusconi and his followers have defended it as a contribution to speeding up court proceedings.
The government had little difficulty in winning votes on amendments, suggesting the bill will be approved when the final division is held later.
As a result, it is unlikely any action will now be taken against builders, officials and property developers suspected of responsibility for deaths in the 2009 L'Aquila earthquake. More than 300 people died, many of them in buildings allegedly constructed with sub-standard materials.
An amendment to exclude the L'Aquila investigation from the terms of the bill was voted down by the government majority. Outside, relatives of the victims hurled insults at Berlusconi's followers as they came in and out of the parliament building.