According to Al Jazeera, the former prime minister denied any wrongdoing. His defense lawyer said that he was confident of the outcome of the upcoming trial, scheduled for February of 2014.
De Gregorio admitted to receiving €3 million (more than US$4 million as a bribe from Berlusconi in 2006. The senator, who claims that Berlusconi attempted to bribe several other senators in the Italian government, agreed to plead guilty in exchange for a 20-month sentence.
Prosecutors say Berlusconi paid another €2 million (US$2.75 million) to De Gregorio to withdraw support from Prodi the following year, delivered by an associate, Valter Lavitola. "I lifted a weight [off]," De Gregorio said. "I have cleared my conscience as far as possible and apologized for what I did." Lavitola will stand trial alongside Berlusconi in February.
The Guardian reports that De Gregorio's defection contributed to the toppling of Prodi's administration. Prodi was succeeded by Berlusconi who served as prime minster from 2008 to 2011.
The 77-year-old Berlusconi previously served as prime minister from 1994 to 1995 and 2001 to 2006 before returning to office again in 2008. In recent years, however, he has suffered severe legal and political setbacks.
Berlusconi's center-right party saw a decrease in power after elections in February ended with new Prime Minister Enrico Letta in command of a coalition government. Several months later, Berlusconi was banned from public office for life for paying an underage woman for sex and using his political power to cover up the incident. Following his sex-crime charge, Berlusconi was found guilty in August of tax fraud charges. Despite multiple convictions, Berlusconi will not spend time in prison, but instead perform community service due to his advanced age.
