Berlusconi-allied lawmakers face corruption investigation

Rome (dpa) - The newly elected Italian parliament was hit by its first scandal on Tuesday, as prosecutors opened corruption investigations against two members of Silvio Berlusconi‘s party.

In elections last week, Antonio Razzi was re-elected to the Senate for the People of Freedom party. Domenico Scilipoti is also expected to re-enter the assembly, which will hold its opening session on March 15.

The two men are suspected of having taken bribes in late 2010, when they left the opposition and supported the then Berlusconi government at a crucial confidence vote.

Following their defection, their former party leader Antonio Di Pietro - an ex magistrate and an arch-enemy of Berlusconi - reported them to the police.

Razzi denied any wrongdoing.

"I did not receive a single cent. The only thing I got was a hug and the friendship of President Berlusconi, which I did not get when I was with Di Pietro," the politician said on Radio Radicale.

Corruption scandals are frequent in Italian politics. Last week a similar probe was opened on Berlusconi, after a former lawmaker said he had been offered 3 million euros (4 million dollars) to stop supporting the government when Berlusconi was in opposition.

Anger at corruption was one of the factors that fueled the rise of the Five Star Movement, a protest party led by comedian Beppe Grillo which took 25 per cent of votes in the election and has emerged as a power-broker in a hung parliament. dpa alv jln Author: Alvise Armellini