Former Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi called on supporters Friday to demonstrate against magistrates on March 23, also the day a verdict is due on his tax fraud conviction appeal. The conservative leader's protest call comes a day after prosecutors said they were initiating a new corruption investigation against him. Besides the tax fraud case, Berlusconi is already facing two trials: one for paying for sex with a minor and abuse of power, and another one for leaking confidential information to smear a rival. They are all expected to end this month. "Some magistrates use justice to fight and eliminate political enemies, which they cannot eliminate through the democratic system of elections," said the 76-year-old, who has fought his way back into the political scene after better-than-expected results in weekend elections. The National Association of Magistrates said that calling protests to influence the work of the courts is "unacceptable," Berlusconi spoke outside the Milan tribunal where he is appealing a four-year conviction for tax fraud by Mediaset, his family media firm. -- SPA
