THE PANAMA CONNECTION: Berlusconi conversation over hospitals aired in Italy

Audio Tapes of an intercepted telephone conversation between former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and a company president discussing negotiations with President Ricardo Martinelli  are being broadcast in Italy.   www.la7

Massimo Ponzellinin the former President of the Italian company Impregilo, is in jail while being investigated for corruption, tax fraud and money laundering, and involvement  of Panamanian authorities. 

In the call, made in April 2011, Berlusconi told Ponzellini  that he “must reach an agreement with Panama regarding hospitals, or the President [Ricardo Martinelli] will issue a statement of how to block the work of Impregilo on the Canal expansion, producing a serious failure and crisis."

Impregilo is part of the consortium Grupo Unidos por el Canal, SA, working  on the construction of lock gates for the expansion. 

The phone call is part of the documents submitted as part of international corruption investigations, involving Valter Lavítola  a key player in the controversial  multi million dollarand controversial contract between the Government of Panama and the Italian conglomerate Finmeccanica says La Prensa.

A transcript of its contents had been released last August. Following the interception, Naples prosecutors Francesco Curcio, Henry Woodcock and Vincenzo Piscitelli, who made the inquiry against Lavítola, questioned Ponzellini, who confirmed the contents of the audio. 
Ponzellini has been detained since his arrest on October 23,

Following the investigations in Italy, former presidential candidate Balbina Herrera said that the Panamanian judicial authorities should join the investigation Secretary of State Communication, Luis Eduardo Camacho, was quick to react: "Let Balbina Herrera resume her  novel"… we are still working in Panama," Camacho, told  FOX Report .

For Berlusconi, the legal situation is complicated, as last week  he was sentenced  to four years jail  for tax fraud. The sentence was  later reduced to one year-and disqualification from holding public office for five years. He also  also faces a pending case for having sex with an underage prostitute. He denies all charges. In total, has faced more than 30 criminal cases in the last 30 years.