ROME (AFP) – Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, plagued by legal troubles including accusations that he had sex with an underage prostitute, will attend all his court hearings, his lawyer said Saturday.

“There is an unusual level of attention on him and so he thinks it right to appear in person,” Niccolo Ghedini told reporters in Milan, specifying that the premier, who has not attended court for years, will be present at all hearings.
All trials against the Italian prime minister were suspended in April last year following the adoption of a law the previous month granting 74-year-old Berlusconi impunity from prosecution for 18 months.
In mid-January the Constitutional Court partially struck down that measure, opening the way for the resumption of the court cases from February 26.
Ghedini on Friday told Milan's public prosecutor's office that Berlusconi will be free to attend court hearings on Mondays, as the slew of trials involving the premier kick off once more.
The embattled leader is accused of tax fraud, witness corruption and having sex with an underage prostitute and then using his position to cover it up.
The preliminary hearing of the tax fraud 'Mediatrade' case in which he is suspected of abuse of confidence was postponed Saturday until March 28, Milan's public prosecutor's office told AFP.