Berlusconi could face wiretapping trial

An Italian judge says Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi could face a trial for allegedly receiving information obtained by illegal wiretaps. Prosecutors last year had asked the judge to drop the charges against Berlusconi in the 2005 wiretapping case involving conversations between the former head of the Democratic Left party and former leader of Unipol, an Italian financial services company, the ANSA news agency reported Thursday. The conversations were published in Il Giornale, a newspaper owned by Berlusconi's brother Paolo Berlusconi, who has already been indicted in the case. Judge Stefania Donadeo refused the request to drop the charges against the prime minister and ordered prosecutors to move forward with their case. Another judge will then decide whether to indict Berlusconi, who already faces three trials for alleged corruption and a trial for allegedly paying to have sex with an underage prostitute. Berlusconi has denied all the charges and says he is being targeted for political reasons.