Italy row over high office bill

By Christian Fraser
BBC News, Rome

Mr Berlusconi was criticised for his business influence while in power

A row is brewing in Italy as parliament prepares to debate new laws to stop anyone with businesses worth more than 15m euros (£10m) from holding office.

A new "conflict of interest" law would be particularly damaging for former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

Critics of Mr Berlusconi, now leader of the opposition and Italy's richest man, maintain his media holdings are incompatible with high office.

He says the reform bill is tantamount to "political assassination".

Huge media interests

"It's further proof," he says, "of the left's desire to eliminate its most dangerous political adversary."

But since he came into politics in 1993, Silvio Berlusconi has been criticised both at home and abroad for his dual role as Italy most powerful businessman and leading politician.

He has huge media interests. His family holding company, Fininvest, is an unlisted group worth an estimated $12bn (£6bn), and while holding office, he directly or indirectly exercised control over six out of seven of Italy's national television networks.

In 2004, while prime minister, Mr Berlusconi's government passed a law which ensured he could remain in high office while retaining ownership of his companies, so long as he was not managing them himself.

The centre-left want to go much further. If this bill is successful it would mean in future, rich businessmen who want to pursue political careers here would have to sell their businesses or put them into a blind trust.

But the government is facing a titanic battle - already the opposition is rallying behind its leader.

And Mr Prodi knows that with only a two seat majority in the upper house Senate, he will need all his political resolve to force this through.