Berlusconi quits AC Milan: Conflict of interest?

So it seems that Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi will have to remove himself from one more part of his media-culture empire: He's being forced to quit his role as president of Italian football club AC Milan. It's all thanks to a new Italian conflict-of-interest law that prevents him running any private interest while in office. The BBC notes that "Berlusconi has been Milan's president since 1986, winning four European Cups and seven Serie A titles." Still, like everything else with Berlusconi, it seems he won't allow himself to get too far from the action, since according to the BBC there are reports that the position will go to Berlusconi's son, Piersilvio, who "is currently the deputy chairman of his father's media empire Mediaset." Like Rupert Murdoch, Berlusconi believes in keeping things in the family.

The trouble with all this is, of course, that Berlusconi's whole prime ministership has been one massive conflict of interest. As CNN pointed out, he and his family own Fininvest, the company that controls three commercial TV channels belonging to Mediaset (Italy's main private network). Berlusconi is also able to bring heavy political influence to bear on the public RAI network, as a Time Europe makes clear. What's more (from CNN): "The Berlusconi family empire is vast, from telecommunications to insurance and building. It [still] includes top football team AC Milan, the Mediolanum bank, Italy's largest publishing house Mondadori, leading daily newspaper Il Giornale and the popular news magazine Panorama." Berlusconi was quoted in 2001 (when he was up for reelection): "'Let people decide whether there is a conflict of interest or not,'" Berlusconi replies. 'There's parliament, which is a sovereign judge, there's the press exercising its right to criticise -- not to mention the Italian court system.'"

Fine, but Berlusconi owns or controls the media, and practically all the broadcast media. Conflict of interest? Well I know I've made my mind up about whether there's a conflict or interest!