Editto bulgaro

The Editto bulgaro (English: "Bulgarian Edict"), also referred to as the "Bulgarian Diktat" (Diktat bulgaro) or "Bulgarian Ukase" (Ukase bulgaro) in Italian newspapers,[1] was a statement of Silvio Berlusconi, at the time Prime Minister of Italy, about the behavior of three figures of Italian media and television – namely journalists Enzo Biagi and Michele Santoro and comedian Daniele Luttazzi – which was pronounced during a press conference with Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, at the time Prime Minister of Bulgaria, on 18 April 2002.

Santoro, ma l'altro... Luttazzi -- hanno fatto della televisione pubblica, pagata coi soldi di tutti, è un uso criminoso.

On April 22, 2007 he returned to TV with a program called RT – Rotocalco Televisivo (Television Magazine), but after seven episodes he could not continue due to his worsening health.

Santoro sued RAI for unfair dismissal, and won the case in 2005, with a compensation of €1,400,000 and the reintegration in the same time range in TV with the program Anno Zero.

In this interview, Travaglio talked about his book L'odore dei soldi ("The smell of money"), in which he questioned the obscure origin of Berlusconi's wealth at the beginning of his career, and the alleged liaisons of him and one of his closest aides (Marcello Dell'Utri) with the Mafia (Dell'Utri is currently serving a seven-year prison term: he has been found guilty of complicity in conspiracy with the Mafia).

A later edition of L'odore dei soldi triumphantly read on the cover "the authors released [from any accusation], Berlusconi ruled to pay for legal expenses".

The official motivation was a crude joke addressed to journalist Giuliano Ferrara, a well-known supporter of Berlusconi and former Minister for the Relationship [of the government] with the Parliament.