Berlusconi's lawyers believe he's above the law

London, Oct 7 (ANI): Lawyers of Silvio Berlusconi have urged that the law should regard him as "first above equals".

In a bid to save his political career, on the first day of a hearing to determine whether the Italian Prime Minister will continue to avoid a series of trials that could bring down his Government, his legal team told the country's highest court, Constitutional Court, that he should be regarded as a special case, reports The Times.

In his address, Gaetano Pecorella, one of four lawyers representing Berlusconi, said: "He is no longer 'first among equals', but ought to be considered 'first above equals."

Niccolo Ghedini, also representing Berlusconi, said: "The law is equal for everyone, but not always in its application."

The hearing took place a day after another judge said that the 73-year-old was "co-responsible for corruption" in a bribery case revolving around a hostile takeover of a publishing firm by his media empire in the 1990s. (ANI)