Italian centre-right opposition leader Mr Silvio Berlusconi, the man widely expected to win next month's general election, yesterday threatened legal action against the British weekly, the Economist, following the publication of an article criticising his fitness for public office.
Mr Berlusconi is the subject of this week's cover story entitled, "Why Silvio Berlusconi is unfit to lead Italy".
The British weekly argues that "in any self-respecting democracy" it would be "unthinkable" that the man about to become prime minister would recently have come under investigation for "money laundering, complicity in murder, connections with the Mafia, tax evasion and the bribing of politicians, judges and the tax police".
The Economist editorial concludes: "The election of Mr Berlusconi as prime minister would mark a dark day for Italian democracy and the rule of law."
Fininvest, the family holding company at the heart of the $14 billion empire controlled by Mr Berlusconi, responded angrily, to the article, promising to sue the Economist and issuing a statement saying: "The Economist offers its readers an exact photocopy of the most infamous calumnies aimed at Fininvest and its founder Silvio Berlusconi in recent times . . . [the article contains] a sequence of accusations which have been dropped and theories . . . which are an insult to both truth and intelligence."
Throughout the current election campaign, Mr Berlusconi's opponents have consistently pointed to the potential "conflict of interests" between his business empire and his role as head of government.
Fininvest controls a $14 billion empire that includes Italy's three major commercial TV stations (with 43 per cent of the national audience) plus banks and a newspaper as well as insurance, property, advertising and publishing companies and the AC Milan football team.
Centre-left opponents yesterday called on Mr Berlusconi to answer the "serious questions" raised by the Economist.
Socialist Democrat leader Mr Enrico Boselli said: "The leader of the opposition cannot continue to run. "I believe that if Berlusconi really cares about the credibility of his country, then he can only answer the grave accusations raised in the foreign press, just as in the same way he cannot refuse a public debate with centre-left candidate for prime minister, Francesco Rutelli." For the past month, Mr Berlusconi has refused Mr Rutelli's invitation to a television debate, arguing that the centre-left candidate is not a "real leader" worthy of being confronted.
Opinion polls suggest, however, that Mr Berlusconi will win the election on May 13th.