Silvio Berlusconi , who died today at the age of 86, was an Italian businessman and former Prime Minister of Italy. He was born in Milan on September 29, 1936, and his biography is full of scandals, accusations of corruption, sexual affairs and controversial business ventures.
He started his career selling vacuum cleaners, singing, later founded a construction company, and then moved to the media, which, in addition to jobs in the financial and sports sectors, make up the bulk of his wealth. Berlusconi’s parent company Mediaset operated three national television channels, which cover half of the national TV sector, and there is also the leading Italian advertising agency Publitacia. Much of Berlusconi’s political career has been marred by a series of legal battles. He himself often complained that he was a victim of the Milanese judiciary. Back in 2009, Berlusconi estimated that in 20 years he appeared in court 2,500 times – in 106 separate trials – and that the legal costs amounted to around 200 million euros.
