Berlusconi: Putin Wants Me As Economy Minister

Disgraced former Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi has said Vladimir Putin has offered him a place in the Russian government if he wants it.

Il Cavaliere, or 'the Knight' as he is known in his home country, was talking to friends in a restaurant in Rome when he made the claim, La Stampa reported.

He is said to have told those in the Consolini restaurant that his future was as a minister for his "friend Putin".

He is reported to have said: "Here in Italy I am considered as a criminal. In Russia they are willing to give me the chance to build golden bridges, so I am drawn there.

"Think, in Italy I am relegated to the margins, yet Putin has told me that he would be ready to give me not just citizenship but the leadership of the Russian Ministry of Economy."

Mr Berlusconi has been friends with Mr Putin for many years, having both been in charge of their respective countries for a decade or so.

As head of the populist Forza Italia, Mr Berlusconi served three terms as Prime Minister, returning to power despite a series of controversies.

Mr Putin has also managed to cling on to power, changing Russian legislation to take up a third term as President after a four-year hiatus as Prime Minister.

Mr Berlusconi has taken a back seat from Italian politics since a series of trials forced him from power.

In March, Italy's highest court upheld his acquittal on charges that he paid for sex with an under-age dancer and then used his influence to cover it up, amid the notorious Bunga Bunga scandal.

He had just completed a community service order for tax fraud and analysts said it could pave the way for the 78-year-old to return to Italian politics.

But two weeks ago he was sentenced to three years in jail and banned from holding public office after being found guilty of bribing a senator in 2008.

Berlusconi's claim comes after French actor Gerard Depardieu was granted Russian citizenship following an offer by Mr Putin when the star left France to avoid tax increases.