A top journalist and presenter who disappeared from Italian TV screens for four years after being blacklisted by Silvio Berlusconi has crossed swords again with the former premier .
Michele Santoro was back in Berlusconi's bad books after his new current affairs show Annozero on state broadcaster RAI delved into corruption allegations against the media magnate and British corporate lawyer David Mills .
The show was aired on Thursday night, three days after Berlusconi and Mills, the estranged husband of British Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell, were indicted for allegedly perverting the course of justice in two corruption trials .
Berlusconi telephoned Annozero, which goes out live, but was prevented by the show from speaking .
The 70-year-old centre-right opposition chief, who lost power in the April general election, then reportedly sent in a statement which was not read out to viewers .
Berlusconi subsequently phoned RAI Chairman Claudio Petruccioli to complain about the show and the way he had been treated .
The case was discussed during a RAI board meeting on Friday morning, with centre-right directors taking Berlusconi's side and criticising the programme despite admitting that they had not seen it .
Centre-left board members who did watch the show defended it, saying it had handled the Berlusconi-Mills case in a fair and correct way .
They noted that a journalist from Berlusconi's private TV network Mediaset was present to put the former premier's case, and stressed the show never took live calls .
Santoro himself made the same point in a letter posted on Annozero's website .
The 55-year-old journalist also highlighted that a top member of Berlusconi's Forza Italia party, Renato Brunetta, was present in the studio .
"Everyone spoke and freely sustained their points of view. We think it was right to cover this news and that it was handled in a very balanced way," he said .
But Berlusconi supporters slammed Santoro, saying he remained biased against the former premier and the centre right .
Forza Italia Senate Whip Renato Schifani said that "Santoro has not changed his habits... and has once again shown his hostility to Berlusconi" .
Santoro disappeared from Italian TV screens in 2002, soon after he was criticised by then-premier Berlusconi of having made "criminal" use of state TV .
Berlusconi launched the same charges against two other popular media figures, another journalist and a comic, both of whom were also dropped by RAI .
The three cases led to allegations of censorship at the broadcaster under Berlusconi's government .
Santoro subsequently entered politics, joining the centre left and being elected a Euro MP in 2004, but he gave up the job and returned to RAI screens two months ago. RAI board member and Forza Italia member Giuliano Urbani said that "this case is extremely serious... Berlusconi was stopped from defending himself in a show in which alleged crimes involving himself were the object of discussion" .
But the deputy head of parliament's RAI watchdog committee, Giorgio Merlo, responded that "the centre right will just have to learn to live with pluralism" .
"Polemics cannot be raised every time RAI deals with politically high-profile issues. RAI has the right to offer in-depth coverage of such matters," said Merlo, a member of the governing coalition .
Other centre-left lawmakers praised Santoro for his courage, saying that serious journalistic investigations were lacking on state television .
The Berlusconi-Mills trial is due to open in Milan on March 13 .
Mills, who helped Berlusconi set up a network of off-shore companies before his 1994 debut into politics, is accused of receiving $600,000 from Berlusconi as payment for not revealing details of Berlusconi's media empire in two trials against the ex-premier in 1997 and 1998 .
Berlusconi and Mills deny wrongdoing .
The two already face trial next month in Milan on separate charges regarding alleged fraud at Mediaset .
That trial involves a total of 14 defendants including Mediaset Chairman Fedele Confalonieri and several top former officials at Berlusconi's Fininvest family holding company .
The case centres on Mediaset's purchase of TV rights for US films before 1999 through two offshore firms .
Prosecutors believe that in deals covering the period 1994-99, the purchase costs of US films were artificially inflated, allowing Mediaset to avoid tax amounting to almost 125 billion old lire. They also say a slush fund was created for Berlusconi and his family .
The defendants all deny wrongdoing .
