Silvio Berlusconi was born on September 29, 1936 in Milan, Italy. Before he made his fortune in the real estate business, Berlusconi sold vacuum cleaners and sang on cruise ships.

TV Success

Berlusconi launched a cable TV channel - Telemilano - in 1974. And, despite the tight regulation of Italian television, Berlusconi launched a commercial network on it.

It was he who introduced the Italian audience to foreign TV shows and the show "Velina" - half-naked girls who danced or undressed during TV shows or news programs.

Berlusconi now controls three private television networks in Italy. His business empire also includes the AC Milan football club, a publishing house and numerous magazines.

Political career

In 1993, Berlusconi founded the Forza Italia political party. He took over as prime minister in 1994, but the coalition that brought him to power collapsed after 7 months. Despite this, Berlusconi remained a popular figure, especially with people who believed that his ability to run a business would have a positive effect on the Italian economy. Thanks to promises of tax cuts and more jobs, Berlusconi re-took the post of prime minister in 2001 and held it until 2006.

Renaming his party the People of Freedom, Berlusconi took over as prime minister for the third time in 2008. In 2011, he resigned when he saw Italy's external debt rise amid the Eurozone crisis. Berlusconi remained the leader of his party, which made him a powerhouse in 2013 when he backed a coalition with Enrico Letta.

Scandals

Berlusconi brought many girls from the Veline show to government positions.

In 2007, Berlusconi told Mara Carfagna that if he was not already married, he would marry her immediately. Hearing this, Berlusconi's wife, Veronica Lario, demanded a formal apology from him. And after Berlusconi attended a party in honor of the coming of age of one of the girls in 2009, Lario decided to file for divorce.

But Berlusconi argued that these meetings were nothing more than ordinary feasts.

Criminal charges

Criminal charges have haunted Berlusconi since his early days as prime minister. He was accused of embezzlement, tax fraud and bribery. Because of his position, Berlusconi was able to avoid some of the accusations - as prime minister, he approved a law that guaranteed immunity to the prime minister during his term (the law was later repealed). Berlusconi also struggled with other charges until they expired.

Berlusconi was also found guilty of abuse of power. While on duty, he tried to get el-Marug out of prison by telling the police that she was connected with Hosni Mubarak. In addition to the charges brought against him, Berlusconi was also banned from holding public office.

Berlusconi has pleaded not guilty to any of the charges. He and his supporters believe that he is being persecuted by the leftist party, and therefore he continues to fight all accusations against him.

Berlusconi will not have to serve a sentence in prison, or leave public service pending appeals in his cases. Even if his sentence is upheld, Berlusconi's age allows him to be kept under house arrest and it is unlikely that he will ever end up in jail.

Berlusconi's contribution to Italy

Berlusconi's success in broadcasting, as well as the long political career, allowed him to change Italian media and politics. In 2013, Forbes magazine estimated the fortune of him and his family at $6.2 billion. Considering his influence, he remains a strong leader. He is also a strong political partner of the current coalition in the Italian government. Despite numerous scandals, Berlusconi gives the impression of a man who will still be successful in Italy.

Quotes

“I am the Jesus Christ of politics. I am a humble victim, I put up with everyone, I sacrifice myself for others.”

“I do not need a seat in parliament for power. I have homes all over the world, amazing ships, beautiful planes, a wonderful wife, a great family. I sacrifice it for this place.”

“It's better to love beautiful girls than to be gay.”

“Of course, their dwellings are temporary. But these people should treat it like they went camping” (about those who were left without a roof over their heads after the earthquake in L’Aquila).

“I have to get involved in politics, otherwise they will put me in jail.”

“If I, taking into account the interests of other people, also take into account my own interest, one cannot speak of a conflict of interest.”

“If I sleep three hours a day, then this will be enough for me for three hours of making love.”

“Without a doubt, I am a man who has gone through as many judgments as no other person in history has gone through.”

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On June 24, in Milan, the court sentenced the former Italian Prime Minister Silvia Berlusconi to 7 years in prison due to the fact that he had an affair with a minor Karima el-Marug, nicknamed Ruby, this case marked the “Ruby case”. Berlusconi, as befits an Italian, has a passionate nature and had many affairs with beautiful women which we will show you.

Moroccan belly dancer Karima el-Marug, also known as Ruby, is a participant in the notorious parties at Berlusconi's villa. The former prime minister was found guilty of sexual intercourse with a minor Ruby and abuse of power.

Nicole Minetti, Berlusconi's dentist, became the face of Italy's ruling People of Freedom party in the municipal elections in Lombardy in March 2010. Minetti is a dancer who became a dentist just a month before the ex-premier met her when he came to fix his teeth after the attack in Milan in December.

Graziana Capone, a law graduate and model dubbed the "Angelina Jolie of Apulia" (where she comes from), was hired to maintain Berlusconi's image on television.

Veronica Lario is the long-suffering wife of Berlusconi and the mother of his three children. They started an affair when he was married to his first wife, and he saw Veronica topless on stage. In the picture - Silvio Berlusconi is sitting in a television studio in front of a screen with a photograph of his wife, in the program "News of Italy".


Noemi Letizia, a schoolgirl who called Berlusconi "papi", came under paparazzi scrutiny when the prime minister showed up at her coming-of-age party and gave her a gold necklace with diamonds worth 6,000 euros.

Barbara Matera is a science graduate and a successful dancer. Although she is better known thanks to her participation in the Miss Italy beauty contest and on television, where she worked as a presenter.

Camilla Ferranti is an actress who has posed semi-nude for various calendars and starred in several Italian soap operas.

Angela Socio is a red-haired girl who appeared on the Italian reality show Grande Fratello. She became famous after she was photographed sitting on Berlusconi's lap with four other women at his luxurious villa in Sardinia.

Eleonora Gaggioli. She also has a TV background, and her famous lingerie photo shoot on a leopard print couch is quite searched on the Internet, judging by the increasing number of search engine queries.


Mara Carfagna, a Miss Italy contestant and calendar girl (no eroticism!) served as Minister for Equal Opportunities in Berlusconi's Cabinet from 2008 to 2011. At a dinner party, he once told Miss Carfagna that if he were not married, he would definitely marry her.

Eleanor (student) and Imma De Vivo (assistant surgeon) are twins who became famous after participating in the program "L'Isola dei Famosi".


Elena Russo is another woman on the list of Silvio Berlusconi, which he once submitted to an influential friend with a request to find them Good work. The prime minister called these women his "little butterflies."

This controversial, but no doubt, charismatic European leader has both an army of opponents and supporters, which allowed him to stay in power for almost 20 years. He owns the Milan football club, owns a controlling stake in the Fininvest company, is the owner of banks, a huge media holding - it's all about Silvio Berlusconi. The biography of one of the richest people on the planet (118th place according to Forbes magazine) is very controversial, full of ups and downs, resounding successes and high-profile trials, but, of course, very interesting.

The beginning of a dizzying career

His hometown is Milan, where Silvio was born on September 29, 1936. His father, Luigi Berlusconi, was a bank employee, and his mother, Rosella Bossi, was a housewife. They later had two more children, Maria and Paolo. The family had rather modest incomes, nevertheless, thanks to the efforts of the parents, all children received decent education. Silvio Berlusconi graduated with honors from the Catholic Lyceum, and later from the University of Milan, where he studied law. For my thesis he even received an award. Even during his student days, Berlusconi began to look for an opportunity to earn his living by different ways- from trade in all kinds of goods to performances on cruise ships. the first permanent job he got in construction company back in 1957. Later, he was so fascinated by this developing field of activity that after 10 years he founded his own construction company called Edilnord. Things were going so well that Silvio devoted almost 20 years of his life to this business. In 1978 he had already founded his holding company Fininvest.

Diverse businessman

But the young entrepreneur was also looking for new promising areas of activity. They opened one of the very first supermarkets in the country. But he became truly successful thanks to the founding of the first commercial television network in Italy in 1980. began to develop this direction, acquiring and opening new TV channels not only in his country, but throughout Europe, and also invested in shares of some print media. His new project was the advertising company Pubitalia 80. At the same time, the tireless entrepreneur was also interested in publishing, which eventually resulted in the creation of the Mandadori Publishing House, which in the 90s grew into the Arnoldo Mandadori Editore trust. And in 1986, one of the most successful investments of the enterprising Italian was the acquisition of the Milan football team, which, thanks to him, became a leader.

New achievements

By the end of the 80s, Berlusconi was already one of the richest people in Italy; in 1988, the network of the largest La Stando department stores was added to his construction holding, media business and football club. A little later, already in the 90s, Berlusconi founded a subsidiary of Fininvest, Mediaset, whose main areas are advertising, multimedia, television and cinema. Few people know about the production activities of Silvio Berlusconi. The films he sponsored in the early 90s are not well known to the general public. these are "Men's Troubles", "Ancestors", "Mediterranean Sea", as well as several series. But the tycoon did not stop there, mastering new areas entrepreneurial activity such as insurance. His assets also include various funds.

Onward to politics!

In 1994, a new figure appeared on the world stage - Silvio Berlusconi. Party "Forward, Italy!" was originally a political movement rapidly gaining popularity due to its innovative ideas and attractive leader figure. Its main ideology was the fusion of various concepts such as liberal socialism and democratic populism. nationwide love the party won through adherence to traditional and Catholic values. Silvio Berlusconi became Prime Minister of Italy, winning the elections in March 1994, and his centre-right Forward Italy! received more than 40% of the vote and formed a coalition with other parties. One of the priorities in his policy was the control of migration flows, mainly from Africa. But his government did not last even a year, the coalition fell apart due to disagreements, and Berlusconi resigned and, after new elections in 1996, went into opposition.

Two terms in a row

In 2001, Silvio Berlusconi again decided to run for prime minister with an extensive electoral program, including again migration issues, numerous reforms and an increase in the standard of living of the population. In the parliamentary elections of the same year, the Freedom House coalition won a decisive victory, and Silvio was again at the head of the government. But already in 2002, due to the introduction of the euro in Italy, the standard of living of citizens decreased, despite the pre-election promises of the prime minister. In his second term, Berlusconi took a course towards rapprochement with the United States and supported the entry of troops into Iraq. In support of the allies, Italy also sent its military contingent there. Silvio Berlusconi's government lasted from June 2001 to April 2005 and, despite the collapse of the coalition and subsequent resignation, turned out to be one of the longest-lived in Italian history. Due to a government crisis, the chairman of the council of ministers returned to his post at the end of April 2005, and his newly formed government worked for another year.

Disgraced politician

In the spring of 2006 elections were held again. Thanks to his own Calderoli law, which automatically leaves more than half of the seats in parliament to the winning party, Silvio Berlusconi and his government only slightly conceded to the left, but this was enough to lose. As a result, "Forward, Italy!" and its ideological inspirer went into opposition and in 2007 joined the federal party "People of Freedom". In the elections in 2008, Berlusconi was charged with bribery and pressure on the press, but, despite everything, the charismatic Italian leader was in the chair of the Chairman of the Council of Ministers for the fourth time. However, all sorts of scandals accompanied the entire term of Silvio Berlusconi's rule. He was even assassinated in 2009. The situation was heating up, especially against the backdrop of the deteriorating economic situation in Italy, the last straw was the criminal case opened against the prime minister, so in November 2011 he resigned again. Having dealt with loud scandal, the disgraced politician even decided to return in 2012, but lost the election to the Democrats and again ended up in opposition. In 2014, he was convicted of tax evasion, receiving a year public works and a ban on participation in government activities.

Personal life

Silvio Berlusconi and his women have always been at the center of public attention and media mass media. Against the background of many novels and rumors, both of his marriages do not even stand out, because they are also associated with various kinds of proceedings. With the first wife, Kara Elvira Dell "Oglio, everything is pretty calm. They got married in 1965, they have two children, Maria Elvira and Piersilvio. The couple divorced after Silvio fell in love in the 80s, who later became his wife. After 30 years of marriage and the birth of three children - Barbara, Eleonora and Luigi, as well as many scandals with exposure to infidelity, the couple finally divorced in 2014. But without trial, it would not be Silvio Berlusconi. The wife demanded the alimony due to her, and the politician tried by all means possible to reduce the amount. former prime minister accused of sexual offenses involving minors, but he was fully acquitted in 2011. New sweetheart Silvio appeared in the same year. She became the model Francesca Pascali. Concerning interesting facts biography of Berlusconi: he received many awards and orders different countries, released three solo albums, did plastic surgery, is a member of the Masonic lodge, as well as a friend of Vladimir Putin.

In 2010, the children of the head of the Italian government, Silvio Berlusconi, became richer than dad. However, it turns out that if we compare the total capital of all five children, each of them individually is still much poorer than their father.

According to the Italian newspaper Libero News, citing financial statements Fininvest, whose founder is Silvio Berlusconi, taking into account the latest dividends, deposits in bank accounts and investments in mutual funds and shares, the Italian prime minister has a fortune of 684.4 million euros. And the combined fortune of his children is 746.6 million euros. Thus, the five offspring of Berlusconi are 62 million richer than their father.

According to company reports, the prime minister owns four holdings that are part of Fininvest. Together they make up 61.2% of Fininvest's total capital. Everything else is distributed among the children of the prime minister: Marina (owns the Fourth Holding), Piersilvio (The Fifth Holding) and three children from his second marriage - Eleanor, Barbara and Luigi (all together own the Fourteenth Holding).

Considering that all the income of the Berlusconi family is based on Fininvest dividends, Silvio Berlusconi could be twice as rich as his offspring. However, the opposite happened in their family. The prime minister's children turned out to be more economical than their father, who squanders his fortune.

The most economical of all was the eldest son Piersilvio, whose fortune is 241 million euros. Of these, he holds only 99 thousand euros in a bank account, the rest falls on investments, including 22 million euros invested in securities managed by Arner Bank.

The three youngest children from Berlusconi's second marriage to Veronica Lario - Eleonora, Barbara and Luigi - have saved up 390 million euros for the three, of which 138 million euros are in their bank accounts. They manage their money differently: for example, they bought a palazzo in the center of Milan for 39 million euros, and also invested in Molmed, an innovative biotechnology company, although the return on investment will not be too fast. They entrusted part of their money to the famous Italian banker Matteo Arpe. Another 10 million euros were placed with J.P. Morgan International Bank. And the children of the prime minister transferred part of the funds financial company ExpoBee Inc., which hosts and manages them.

All the money of the Berlusconi family (within the Fininvest company) is run by financier Giuseppe Spinelli. The Prime Minister of Italy appointed him the head of his holdings, and the children made him a board member or vice president in theirs. His salary is 290 thousand euros, of which 258 thousand euros he receives from Berlusconi, 20 thousand euros from three younger children, 12 thousand euros from Marina and Piersilvio.