By Christian Fraser
BBC News, Rome
Since first coming to power in 1994 Silvio Berlusconi has faced 17 judicial investigations into his complicated business affairs.
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He is currently facing two trials in Milan.
The first is for allegedly committing tax fraud at his Mediaset SpA television company.
In the second, he is accused of bribing his former British lawyer David Mills - the estranged husband of the British Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell - in exchange for allegedly "misleading" testimony in two trials during the 1990s. Both men deny the charges.
Mr Berlusconi has always complained that left-leaning magistrates are conducting a political witch-hunt.
Save the PM
And over the years while in office he has attempted several times to introduce legislation that would protect a serving prime minister from prosecution.
His last attempt, in 2003, failed in the constitutional court.
But now, just two months since winning the Italian election, another bespoke law to protect Mr Berlusconi and his business interests has reappeared.
The focus falls once again on the judicial system, and those working within it.
In Brussels last Friday at an EU summit, Mr Berlusconi vented his anger against magistrates who want to "subvert democracy".
The Italian prime minister promised he would "denounce the initiatives of magistrates and judges who have infiltrated the judiciary and want to subvert the vote".
On 17 June Renato Schifani, speaker of the Senate, read a letter from Mr Berlusconi backing an amendment proposed by two senators, that would be included in an emergency security decree.
The amendment has been nicknamed Salve Premiere - save the prime minister.
Derision
If approved, it will suspend all trials for crimes committed before June 2002 carrying a penalty of less than 10 years in prison - including Mr Berlusconi's ongoing trials in Milan.
On Tuesday, the amendment was approved by the upper house - the Senate - along with a broader security package that will crack down on illegal immigration, mafia crimes, drink-driving and workplace accidents.
It still has to pass before the lower house and the president - but there appears little to stop it.
The ruling coalition has a thumping majority in both the upper and lower houses.
Nonetheless, the result of the vote in the Senate was met with howls of derision.
Opposition senators from the small Italy of Values Party held up signs reading Vergogna (shame on you) and "the Caiman is back", referring to the 2006 film by Italian director Nanni Moretti - a biting satire about Mr Berlusconi's previous governments, named after a kind of alligator.
Anna Finocchiaro, the Senate whip for the centre-left Democratic Party, accused Mr Berlusconi of "endangering democracy".
The government ignored a plea from the National Magistrates' Association (NMA) to abandon the amendment.
The NMA says it will affect 100,000 trials, cause "chaos without precedent" and bring the Italian justice system "to its knees".
But Interior Minister Roberto Maroni says it is designed to fast-track the more serious crimes at the expense of "lesser" offences.
He points to a backlog of six million cases.
Good faith
On the eve of the vote, the judges had proposed a compromise - a withdrawal of the trial freeze amendment in return for reviving a law which would give immunity to the country's top five officials - including the prime minister - for the duration of their time in office.
In truth it is not much of a compromise, since the government seems intent on resuscitating that law as well - even though it was rejected by the constitutional court in 2003, as unconstitutional.
In response to the storm of criticism Mr Berlusconi has attracted, his lawyer this week visited the foreign press club in Rome to put forward the case.
Niccolo Ghedini, a member of parliament and the supposed architect of the legislation, insists his client will request the trial in Milan - involving Mr Mills - should proceed. It is due to resume on 7 July 2008.
Mr Ghedini insists his client is working in good faith to spare future prime ministers from similar investigations.
"Governing is impossible with all the time spent arguing over trials," he said.
(BBC)
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