The party was part of all three House of Freedoms coalition governments led by Silvio Berlusconi.

In the same statement, Cossiga claimed that a video tape circulated by Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda and containing threats against Silvio Berlusconi was " produced in the studios of Mediaset in Milan " and forwarded to the " Islamist Al-Jazeera television network.

" The purpose of that video tape ( which was actually an audio tape ) was to raise " a wave of solidarity to Berlusconi " who was, at the time, facing political difficulties.

Berlusconi, however, was forced to step down in December 1994 when the Lega Nord withdrew support.

The Berlusconi government was succeeded by a technical government headed by Prime Minister Lamberto Dini, which left office in early 1996.

In August 2008 Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi signed an agreement to pay Libya $ 5 billion over 25 years – this was a " complete and moral acknowledgement of the damage inflicted on Libya by Italy during the colonial era ", the Italian prime minister said.

The treaty was ratified by Italy in 6 February 2009, and by Libya on 2 March, during a visit to Tripoli by Berlusconi.

On March 19, 2002, the same gun was used to kill professor Marco Biagi, an economic advisor to Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

In the April 1996 snap parliamentary elections, Berlusconi was defeated by the centre-left candidate Romano Prodi.

Berlusconi was leader of the centre-right coalition in the April 2006 parliamentary elections, which he lost by a very narrow margin, his opponent again being Romano Prodi.

Berlusconi was criticised for his dominance over the Italian media whilst he held political office.

His father, Luigi Berlusconi ( 1908 – 1989 ) was a bank employee and his mother, Rosa Bossi ( 1911 – 2008 ), a housewife.

Silvio was the first of three children ; he had a sister, Maria Francesca Antonietta Berlusconi ( 1943 – 2009 ) and has a brother, Paolo Berlusconi ( born 1949 ), both entrepreneurs.

Berlusconi was not required to serve the standard one-year stint in the Italian army which was compulsory at the time.

By this time, Berlusconi was a well-known entrepreneur, and his wedding was a notable social event.

Future Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi was on the list, although he had not yet entered politics at the time.

Future Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi was on the list, although he had not yet entered politics at the time.

In 2003, Gelli told La Repubblica that it seemed that the P2 " democratic rebirth plan " was being implemented by Silvio Berlusconi:

In the 1970s in the eastern metropolitan area of Milan a new city was built by Silvio Berlusconi.

* Ruby Rubacuori ( born 1993 ), Karima el Mahroug, allegedly had sex with the Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi when underage

Silvio Berlusconi (; born 29 September 1936 ) is an Italian politician and media tycoon who served three times as Prime Minister of Italy from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006 and 2008 to 2011.

By 1980, Berlusconi had established a relationship with the actress Veronica Lario ( born Miriam Bartolini ), with whom he subsequently had three children: Barbara ( b. 1984 ), Eleonora ( b. 1986 ) and Luigi ( b. 1988 ).

* Roberto Maroni ( born 1955 ), Italian politician, member of Lega Nord who served as Minister of the Interior and Minister of Labour and Welfare in various Berlusconi governments.

* Roberto Castelli ( born 1946 ), Senator, former Minister of Justice during the government of Silvio Berlusconi 2001-2006.

Ferrero, who was born in Dogliani, Italy, is Italy's richest person, with a personal wealth of $ 19 billion, surpassing Silvio Berlusconi in March 2008.

Marcello Dell ' Utri ( born 11 September 1941 in Palermo, Sicily ) is an influential Italian politician and senior advisor to Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

Veronica Lario ( born on 19 July 1956 as Miriam Raffaella Bartolini ) is a former Italian actress, ex wife of former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, although she has filed for legal separation, which is the first step towards divorce in Italian law.

A few days later Zoff resigned, following strong criticism from A. C. Milan president and politician Silvio Berlusconi.

Berlusconi is also the controlling shareholder of Mediaset and owner of A. C. Milan.

Berlusconi also owns the Serie A Club AC Milan.

In 1987, Silvio Berlusconi signed Van Basten for Milan, with fellow countrymen Ruud Gullit and Frank Rijkaard joining in 1988.

Silvio Berlusconi signed Gullit for A. C. Milan in 1987, paying the then world record transfer fee of ƒ18 million (£ 6 million ) as a replacement for Ray Wilkins.

In the 1970s in the eastern metropolitan area of Milan a new city was built by Silvio Berlusconi.

The government had a short life and fell in December, when Lega Nord left the coalition, after disagreements over pension reform and the first avviso di garanzia ( preliminary notice of an investigation ) for Berlusconi, passed by Milan prosecutors.

Milan were at this time bankrolled by the vast wealth of the Italian media mogul Silvio Berlusconi.

* One of his most discussed art work is " ghost track ": in December 2009 for his solo show in Milan there was a " strange " similarity between the puppets representation of himself and Massimo Tartaglia ( Silvio Berlusconi attacker in December 2009 ).

On 13 December 2009 Berlusconi was hit in the face with an alabaster statuette of Milan Cathedral after a rally in Milan's Piazza Duomo, suffering facial and teeth injuries.

The steady European interest in Kaká culminated in his signing with Italian club AC Milan in 2003 for a fee of € 8. 5 million, described in retrospect as " peanuts " by club owner Silvio Berlusconi.

Silvio Berlusconi prevented it, starting the so called “ Segrate War ” ( from the town of Segrate close to Milan where the Mondadori main office is located ).

A sentence on the 3 October 2009 by the Causa Civile ( Civil Court of Milan ) pronounced that Berlusconi ’ s Fininvest must compensate the CIR of Carlo De Benedetti a total of 750 million euros for the financial losses due to " perdita di chance " ( lost opportunities ) from the Lodo Mondadori decision.

In 1973, Dell ’ Utri introduced Vittorio Mangano, already charged for Mafia crimes, to Silvio Berlusconi, as a gardener and stable man at the Villa San Martino owned by Berlusconi in Arcore, a small town near Milan.

His call for ' change ' was perceived as an extension of his rivalry with A. C. Milan supremo, Silvio Berlusconi, from football to the political sphere.

On 10 May 2010 it was revealed that a separation settlement had been reached, with Berlusconi accepting alimony payments of € 3. 5 million per year, and allowing her to live in their luxury home near Milan.