The five children of former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who died in June after leukemia, accepted yesterday the distribution of the inheritance of some 5,000 million euros. And, as was the magnate’s will, the two eldest, Marina and Pier Silvio, those who have been involved in his businesses the longest, thus take the reins of the Fininvest holding company, the conglomerate that brings together all the family companies. , starting with Mediaset, the jewel in the crown.
The distribution of the inheritance follows the will revealed in July that explained that Marina and Pier Silvio, the two children from his first marriage with Carla Elvira dall’Oglio, will together have 53% of the shares of Fininvest, a decision that the former first minister took over in 2006. The remaining 47% will be distributed among his other three descendants, Barbara, Eleonora and Luigi, the result of his second marriage with the actress Veronica Lario.
The choice to privilege Marina and Pier Silvio was natural since the first-born, 56 years old, has been at the head of the business conglomerate for years and was the right eye of her father, who considered her the financial brain of the family. For her part, Pier Silvio, her brother, 54, is in charge of the Mediaset television group as CEO, the flagship of Fininvest. With this signature, both “jointly assume indirect control of Fininvest, clearly ensuring the stability and continuity of management.”
The five descendants met yesterday at the politician’s Villa San Martino mansion in Arcore, on the outskirts of Milan, where according to a statement they signed their last wills “in total harmony to honor his memory with deep gratitude and inspired by his immense generosity.” . According to the Italian press, the agreement also requires them not to sell their shares in the next five years.
Until his death, Berlusconi owned 61.21% of the shares of Fininvest – which in turn owned 50% of Media For Europe, the former Mediaset – while his first two children each had 7.65% of the business holding company. . Fininvest also controls 30% of the Mediolanum bank, the leading Italian publishing house Mondadori (53.3%) and the Monza football club, the Cavaliere’s latest toy and the only one of its businesses with losses.
In addition, Berlusconi left 100 million euros as an inheritance to his last partner, Marta Fascina, the young deputy whom he was more than 50 years older and with whom he starred in a famous fictitious wedding. The same amount of 100 million euros will go to his brother, Paolo, while Marcello dell’Utri, one of his closest collaborators (who was prosecuted for mafia association), will receive 30 million euros. “For the good that I have loved them and for what they have loved me,” the magnate wrote in a later document.
The Berlusconi’s entourage filters that the relationship with Fascina, who continues to live in Arcore, is excellent. The five children have agreed to contribute to their millionaire inheritance following Fininvest’s distribution rule: the two oldest will contribute 26 million each, while Barbara, Eleonora and Luigi will give 16 million each. The same will happen for the other two heirs.
With the signing of the inheritance, a new chapter opens for Fininvest, in which Marina, who is president of the conglomerate and of Mondadori, and Pier Silvio, of MFE, will have the most important roles, but also the three younger brothers will increase their presence in the board of directors. Now all that remains is to know what intentions they have for Forza Italia, the political party that Berlusconi governed as another of his companies, and that has a high debt with the family. For the moment, none of the Berlusconi have given any signal that they want to separate themselves from the group, Giorgia Meloni’s partner in the Italian government.
