Prosecutors Call for Mills and Berlusconi to Face Trial

Italian prosecutors are seeking the indictment of the Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, and David Mills on charges of corruption, it was revealed today.

Mr. Berlusconi and Mr. Mills - the estranged husband of the culture secretary, Tessa Jowell - could face trial in Italy following the request, made to an Italian judge.

The development comes only weeks before Italian elections are due to take place.

It is alleged Mr. Berlusconi ordered the payment of around £344,000 to Mr. Mills in 1997 in exchange for false testimony by the lawyer in two trials of the Italian prime minister.

Both men deny the allegations, and a spokesman for Mr. Berlusconi today said the corruption allegations were "false theories".

Prosecutor Fabio De Pasquale said Mr. Mills was accused of giving false testimony in two hearings, held in 1997 and 1998.

According to reports in Italy, the lawyer allegedly failed to mention a phone call with Mr Berlusconi in 1995 in which the two discussed alleged illicit payments from the Italian prime minister to the former premier Bettino Craxi.

He is also accused of failing to tell a court that two offshore companies involved in buying US film rights were linked to Mr. Berlusconi.

The questions surrounding Mr. Mills’s testimony stem from a separate case in which he, Mr. Berlusconi and 12 other people are accused of tax fraud and embezzlement over the purchase of US movie rights by Mediaset, Mr. Berlusconi’s media firm. All the defendants deny the charges.

Mr. Mills, 60, and Ms Jowell announced their separation last week, saying their marriage had been put under "strain" by the controversy.

The culture secretary was cleared of breaching the ministers’ code of conduct by arguing that her husband did not tell her about the £344,000 gift.

She was said to have been left angry and embarrassed by the bribery allegations.