REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, NAPLES - Silvio Berlusconi's political corruption trial has opened in the southern city of Naples, presenting yet another legal challenge for the three-time former Italian premier.

Berlusconi is accused in the trial that opened Tuesday of paying a senator 3 million euros (4 million USD) to switch parties, weakening a rival government that eventually fell.

Berlusconi, who denies the charge, remains an influential political force despite being stripped of his Senate seat for a tax fraud conviction last fall. He still faces a prison sentence in that case.

The corruption case has ignited a new political storm in Rome after the Senate president announced the legislative body would seek to be a civil party in the case, as permitted by Italian law. Majority whip Pietro Grasso has been accused of partisanship.

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