Silvio Berlusconi was an Italian media mogul and Prime Minister of Italy who owned the largest broadcasting company in that country, Mediaset. His promises to sell off his personal assets to avoid conflicts of interest were never fulfilled, which sparked controversy throughout his terms in office.
Berlusconi is a controversial figure in modern Italian politics: his tenure as Prime Minister was racked with scandalous sex affairs and poor judgement and decision-making. These events were widely covered by the media, drawing outcry from many of his Italian contemporaries and worldwide counterparts.
According to journalists Marco Travaglio and Enzo Biagi , Berlusconi entered politics to save his companies from bankruptcy and himself from convictions. Berlusconi's supporters hailed him as the " novus homo ", an outsider who was going to bring a new efficiency to the public bureaucracy and reform the state from top to bottom. Controversy concerning Berlusconi's 'conflicts of interest' are usually centered around the use of his media and marketing power for political gain.
However, there is also controversy regarding his financial gains. When RAI was being run by a two-man team appointed by the presidents of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate both in Berlusconi's coalition , the state broadcaster increased its viewers, but lost a significant share of its advertising revenue to the rival Mediaset group, owned and run by the Berlusconi family, which has led to large personal gain.
Berlusconi's governments has passed some laws that have shortened statutory terms for tax fraud. Romano Prodi, who defeated Berlusconi in , claimed that these were ad personam laws, meant to solve Berlusconi's problems and defend his interests.
