Berlusconi trial halted for Italian election

MILAN (Reuters) - Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's trial on corruption charges was suspended on Friday until after next month's parliamentary election.

Media tycoon Berlusconi, leader of the centre-right opposition, is ahead in opinion polls in the run-up to the April 13-14 election. His lawyers, who are also running for election, have claimed the trial could damage their campaign and that of Berlusconi.

Berlusconi, who owns Italy's biggest private broadcaster, Mediaset, is charged with paying a $600,000 kickback in 1997 to lawyer David Mills, the estranged husband of British Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell, to withhold incriminating details about his business dealings.

"No danger of damage to the trial's parties has emerged," judge Nicoletta Gandus said in announcing the suspension. The trial will resume on April 18.

Berlusconi and Mills deny any wrongdoing. Berlusconi's lawyers, Piero Longo and Nicolo Ghedini, are candidates in his People of Freedom party.

Berlusconi has served twice as prime minister. Early elections were called after Prime Minister Romano Prodi's government collapsed in January.

Berlusconi has estimated he has faced 96 different court cases since entering politics. He has accused judges of waging a political campaign against him.

(Reporting by Milan newsroom; editing by Sami Aboudi)