Silvio Berlusconi hits out at 'humiliating' court appearance
Arriving at the Milan courthouse, he launched a fresh attack on magistrates he claims are trying to destroy his career.
"There is something which is not going in the right direction for a democracy to have government leaders humiliated by having to spend hours in court while these important international events are taking place," he told reporters.
He dismissed the charges against him as "pure invention".
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Hide AdThe preliminary hearing is one of a related set of tax fraud cases linked to the billionaire prime minister's media empire.
Berlusconi and a number of others are accused of fraud and embezzlement over television rights. Prosecutors say they were acquired at inflated prices through front companies.