Your trusted source

Italy's highest court has set 30 July as the date for hearing ex-PM Silvio Berlusconi's tax fraud appeal - a much earlier date than expected, BBC reported.

The Court of Cassation acted on the day the appeal was formally lodged.

The early hearing could prevent the statute of limitations from expiring on one of the charges, analysts say.

In May an appeals court upheld Mr Berlusconi's conviction. It also reinstated a four-year jail term and five-year ban from public office.

The 76-year-old was convicted of artificially inflating prices of film distribution rights bought by his company, Mediaset, to avoid taxes.

Italy's justice system is notoriously slow in dealing with appeals, and Tuesday's decision by the Court of Cassation drew a furious reaction from Mr Berlusconi's defence team.

"I have never seen a hearing programmed as quickly as this. I am astonished," lawyer Franco Coppi told the Reuters news agency.

"This is a real squeeze on the rights of the defence."

If the court upholds Mr Berlusconi's conviction, he will have no further right to appeal.