Italian court rejects Mills' appeal

MILAN, Italy, Oct. 28 (UPI) -- A British tax lawyer says he's confident he will be exonerated by Italy's Supreme Court on corruption charges involving Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

David Mills' first attempt at an appeal of his corruption conviction was turned down Tuesday by an appeals court in Milan, which upheld his 4 1/2-year sentence for accepting a $600,000 bribe from Berlusconi in the 1990s, The Times of London reported.

Mills, who says he will try for a second and final appeal with Italy's top court, the Court of Cassation in Rome, told the newspaper he believes his case will looked on favorably by the court.

"My faith in the Italian justice system is becoming a trifle strained," he said. "But I am sure that when the case gets to the Supreme Court in Rome in the new year the court, which guards Italy's legal reputation, will deliver a fair verdict."

The Times said a successful prosecution of Mills could open the way to prosecute Berlusconi for giving him the bribe. The case against the prime minister was suspended last year when he passed a law giving himself immunity from prosecution, but that law was overturned this month by the constitutional court.