Italy's Berlusconi under another probe

ROME, March 16 (UPI) -- Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is being probed for allegedly pressing media watchdogs to block a talk show critical of his government, officials said.

Prosecutors in Trani said Tuesday Berlusconi is under investigation for suspected abuse of office based on wiretaps of phone conversations between him and a member of the country's media regulator Agcom, Variety reported.

The political talk show airs on state-run RAI, a rival to Berlusconi's Mediaset.

In the taped conversations, Berlusconi allegedly urged Giancarlo Innocenzi, a one-time Mediaset journalist who sits on the Agcom board, to "shut down" RAI's "Annozero." Berlusconi also allegedly derided another talk show, "Ballaro."

Berlusconi has denied wrongdoing, calling the investigation "grotesque," the entertainment trade publication said. The prime minister also expressed shock that his phone was tapped.

Berlusconi also is accused of corruption in two criminal trials.

The Berlusconi government had banned prime time political talk shows in the month leading up to the March 27-28 regional elections. The Italian judiciary last week overturned the order for private broadcasters but kept it in place for RAI.

Berlusconi's lawyer Niccolo Ghedini called the allegations "completely unfounded," saying, "it was not surprising they should surface less than one month before regional elections."