Marina Berlusconi says she won't follow her father into politics

(UPI) -- Marina Berlusconi, the eldest daughter of disgraced Italian politician Silvio Berlusconi, said Monday that she had no intention of following in the former prime minister's footsteps.

"I have never had, and do not have, any intention of being engaged in politics," the 47-year-old Fininvest chairwoman said in a statement, according to Italy's Gazzetta del Sud.

She called her supposed interest in politics "rumours and journalistic reconstructions that are far from any minimal connection with reality."

"Once again I'm forced to issue a denial and in the most comprehensive way possible," she added.

Berlusconi's statement comes after news that her beleaguered father is to stand trial on bribery charges. Silvio has already been convicted of tax fraud and could face a two-year ban on holding pubic office if parliament votes to uphold a court's sentence.

His legal troubles prompted fierce speculation that Marina had been chosen as his party's heir apparent.