US authorities have raided the home and offices of a Hollywood producer in connection with an Italian tax fraud case against former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, the Los Angeles Times reported on Wednesday.
FBI agents searched the home and business of producer Frank Agrama at the request of Italian authorities just days before Berlusconi's trial opened last week, the daily said.
The raid centered on Italian allegations that Agrama, Berlusconi and others fraudulently inflated the price of TV rights originally bought by Agrama so that millions of dollars in kickbacks could be paid to executives of Berlusconi's media empire, the newspaper said, citing Los Angeles court documents.
Italian authorities had made their first request for US help in the case in May 2003, the paper said, citing the documents.
TAX FRAUD CHARGES
Berlusconi, his British lawyer David Mills and a dozen other defendants stand accused of tax fraud in the purchase of film rights in the US by Mediaset, the television group owned by the Berlusconi family.
Berlusconi is accused of money laundering by using offshore companies to buy the film rights between 1994 and 1999 and then reselling them at inflated prices to Mediaset, which ended up paying less tax in Italy.
The former prime minister faces between four and 12 years in jail if convicted.
Agrama founded the TV production, acquisition and distribution company Harmony Gold USA in 1983, the Times said.
He produced the miniseries Heidi, which aired on the Disney Channel, and the horror flick Dawn of the Mummy.
BERLUSCONI'S HEALTH
Berlusconi's trial was postponed on Monday after the 70-year-old briefly lost consciousness on Sunday during a political rally. The trial is scheduled to resume today.
He left the San Raffaele hospital in Milan on Wednesday where he had been undergoing three days of heart tests.
"Everything fine," he was quoted as saying by the ANSA new agency. "I feel busier than before, maybe I'll have to limit my commitments."
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
EUROPEAN FUTURE? Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama says only he could secure EU membership, but challenges remain in dealing with corruption and a brain drain Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama seeks to win an unprecedented fourth term, pledging to finally take the country into the EU and turn it into a hot tourist destination with some help from the Trump family. The artist-turned-politician has been pitching Albania as a trendy coastal destination, which has helped to drive up tourism arrivals to a record 11 million last year. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also joined in the rush, pledging to invest US$1.4 billion to turn a largely deserted island into a luxurious getaway. Rama is expected to win another term after yesterday’s vote. The vote would
A Croatian town has come up with a novel solution to solve the issue of working parents when there are no public childcare spaces available: pay grandparents to do it. Samobor, near the capital, Zagreb, has become the first in the country to run a “Grandmother-Grandfather Service,” which pays 360 euros (US$400) a month per child. The scheme allows grandparents to top up their pension, but the authorities also hope it will boost family ties and tackle social isolation as the population ages. “The benefits are multiple,” Samobor Mayor Petra Skrobot told reporters. “Pensions are rather low and for parents it is sometimes
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
RSS