Italian court has found British tax lawyer David Mills guilty of accepting a bribe

Italian court has found British tax lawyer David Mills guilty of accepting a bribe of about £400,000 from Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. Mills, the estranged husband of UK Olympics minister Tessa Jowell, was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in jail at a court in Milan. Mills, 64, was not in court and is expected to appeal. Mr Berlusconi, who last year passed a law making himself immune from prosecution, has denied paying a bribe. In a statement, Mills said he was "very disappointed" at the verdict. "I am innocent, but this is a highly political case," he said. "The judges have not yet given their reasons for their decision, so I cannot say how they dealt with the prosecutor's own admission that he had no proof.
"I am hopeful that the verdict and sentence will be set aside on appeal and am told that I will have excellent grounds." Although we are separated, I have never doubted his innocence Olympics minister Tessa Jowell Mr Mills' estranged wife