Judge throws out one Berlusconi case

A judge dismissed a fraud charge against former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, ruling Wednesday the statute of limitations had expired. The case, which was being heard in Rome, involved a subsidiary of Berlusconi's broadcasting company, Mediaset, the Italian news agency ANSA reported. Berlusconi's son, Pier Silvio, and Frank Agrama, a producer and director, were among several others charged. Berlusconi is on trial in Milan on charges of having sex with an underage prostitute and then attempting to cover up his actions and, in a separate case, with illegal wiretapping. He was acquitted in Milan of media fraud involving the trading of film rights. The former prime minister has said the prosecutions are all political.