Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi appeared in court Monday in a trial in which he is accused of embezzlement in connection to the activities of his private media empire, DPA reported.
"The charges against me are ridiculous," Berlusconi said shortly before entering the courtroom in Milan.
It was Berlusconi's first court appearance in more than seven years and came after he said he was prepared to personally defend himself in several trials involving him.
The premier was attending a preliminary hearing in a case in which he and other executives of his Mediaset company are accused of embezzlement stemming form the acquisition of film rights by one of the company's subsidiaries, Mediatrade.
"Everyone knows I have never been responsible for the acquisition of film rights," Berlusconi said in interview with Canale 5, one of the four private television channels owned by Mediaset.
"And anyway since entering politics in 1994, I have distanced myself from the company (Mediaset) that I founded and I have dedicated myself to my country," Berlusconi added.
Among those also facing charges related to the case is Mediaset's deputy chairman, Berlusconi's son Piersilvio, who also denies any wrongdoing.
The case and two others against Berlusconi - also linked to his business interests - were reactivated when Italy's Constitutional Court in January partially struck down a law that allowed Berlusconi to avoid court appearances on account of his government duties.
The court ruled that it is up to magistrates and not the premier's lawyers to decide when an official appointment prevents him from attending a trial date.
Berlusconi, who says politically motivated leftist magistrates are out to destroy him, is set to face what is regarded as his toughest battle with the judiciary in a trial scheduled to begin on April 6.
In it, the 74-year-old prime minister stands accused of paying Moroccan go-go dancer Karima El Mahroug for sex in 2010, when she was 17 years old.
The same case also has the premier charged with abusing the powers of his office by intervening on El Mahroug's behalf when she was briefly held by police on suspicion of theft.
If convicted Berlusconi could face a up to 15 years in jail.
Berlusconi has denied having had sex with El Mahroug, and has said that he was acting in "good faith" when he claimed to police that she was former Egyptian president Hosny Mubarak's niece and that they should release her to avoid a diplomatic incident.
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