The Tarantini-Lavitola case. In mid September, the Procura of Naples was investigating over a criminal connection involving political corruption and prostitutes. Prosecutors in Bari had arrested an entrepreneur called Tarantino and his wife, and investigating also a journalist called Lavitola, currently in Bulgaria. They Procura of Naples is also on a track leading to the same people. Among the witnesses they wanted to hear there was Silvio Berlusconi. The body of evidence consists mainly in wiretappings and mney transfers; they found Berlusconi paid Tarantini, formally Tarantini blackmailed Berlusconi to extort him money in exchange of his silence in a prostitute-corruption affair. The investigators suspect that Berlusconi has bought the silence both of Tarantini and Lavitola. However, they did not declare him a formal suspect. Therfore they demanded him to come to be introgated without any right to remain silent nor to lie, nor with any right to be assisted by an attorney.
The prime minister attempted to refuse, and gave them a written testimony. They responded by sayin it was not sufficient, and offered him a choice among 4 different dates for the interrogation, and an ultimatum, after which they would bring him to testify by force by the Carabinieri.
Things went on for about a week, but the preliminary investigation judge suspended the conflict as they decided that it was the procura of Bari who should go on with the investigation. This is a temporary ceasefire. It is undecided which Procura is entitled to go on. But meanwhile, the preliminary judge also expressed his opinion that - based on the evidence collected by Bari - Berlusconi is a criminal and should be considered a suspect since there is evidence against him.
Whether someone is a "suspect" or a "person informed about facts" is a big topic of discussion in Italy, which goes on wor weaks and is not easy to solve.
