Informer links Italian PM to Mafia

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has been linked to the Mafia in a high profile trial of one of his business and political associates.

Sicilian Antonio Giuffre, No. 2 man in the Mafia, turned state's evidence last year, and is being hailed by prosecutors as the most important source from inside the crime organization in two decades.

Giuffre made a court deposition last week that included allegations Berlusconi had met a top Mafia leader and the organization was trying to influence the prime minister's party, Forza Italia.

Berlusconi's friend Marcello Dell'Utri has been accused of being the link between the Mafia and the Forza Italia.

Dell'Utri is a Forza Italia senator and has been accused of money laundering when he worked for Berlusconi's company, Fininvest.

Both men have denied mob links.

Giuffre was arrested in April, and attributed his change of heart to a religious experience.