A corruption trial against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi will resume on Friday after Italy's top court lifted his immunity from prosecution, judicial sources said today.

Berlusconi is charged with bribing British lawyer David Mills to withhold incriminating details of his business dealings. A Milan court sentenced Mills to 4-1/2 years' jail in February for accepting the $600,000 bribe from Berlusconi in 1997. An appeals court last month confirmed that sentence.

Berlusconi denies any wrongdoing. His lawyer Niccolo Ghedini said that the prime minister would have to preside over a cabinet meeting on Friday and would therefore request a postponement of the trial because of a "legitimate impediment".

Berlusconi had secured immunity in the case and other trials against him under a law passed by his government, but the Constitutional Court ruled in October that his protection from prosecution while in office violated the constitution.

The 73-year-old conservative media tycoon has repeatedly attacked the judicial system as overrun by "communist" magistrates out to destroy him. He has said he will not resign even if convicted in one of the trials against him.

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