Jowell husband sentenced over bribe
Updated on 17 February 2009
The estranged husband of Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell has been sentenced to four-and-a-half years jail for taking a bribe from Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
David Mills, 64, was found guilty by a court in Milan at the end of a three-year trial on charges of accepting a £350,000 payment from the politician and media tycoon.
Mills, a tax lawyer, was accused of taking a bribe to give false testimony in a trial Mr Berlusconi faced in relation to his business dealings. Mills was one of Mr Berlusconi's consultants on offshore tax havens.
In a statement released after the verdict, Mills protested his innocence and said he was hopeful he would be cleared on appeal.
He said: "I am naturally very disappointed by this verdict. I am innocent, but this is a highly political case.
"The judges have not yet given their reasons for their decision, so I cannot say how they dealt with the prosecutor's own admission that he had no proof."
Mills added: "I am hopeful that the verdict and sentence will be set aside on appeal and am told that I will have excellent grounds, and have every faith in my excellent lawyer, Federico Cecconi."
It is regarded as unlikely that he will go to prison because, by the time the appeals process is finished, the time allowed for a sentence will have expired under Italy's statute of limitations.
Mr Berlusconi was originally accused of corruption, until his government passed a law giving him legal immunity.
The charges stemmed from a letter which Mills sent to a British accountant in 2004 in which he said the payment came from "Mr B".
He wrote: "I turned some very tricky corners, to put it mildly, and so kept Mr B out of a great deal of trouble that I would have landed him in had I said all I knew."
Mills has said the letter described a hypothetical situation as a way of soliciting tax advice for an unnamed client.
He has said the money came from an Italian businessman, Diego Attanasio, who had once been his client, a claim repeated by Mr Berlusconi, but which Mr Attanasio denies.
Neither Mills nor Mr Berlusconi was present for any of the hearings.
Ms Jowell said the verdict was "a terrible blow" and she had "never doubted" his innocence.
© Independent Television News Limited 2009. All rights reserved.
These news feeds are provided by an independent third party and Channel 4 is not responsible or liable to you for the same.
