Mr Berlusconi claims he is the victim of a vendetta by left-wing judges.

The Italian lower house of parliament is to vote on a new law aimed at resolving the dispute over the conflict of interest between Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's private and public roles.

As well as leading his country, Mr Berlusconi is Italy's wealthiest businessman, with assets worth over $10b.

The three-day debate over the conflict of interests bill began with an almost empty house but developed into rowdy exchanges and actual scuffles between government and opposition MPs.

It will end inevitably with the bill being approved on Thursday as Mr Berlusconi's government enjoys a comfortable parliamentary majority.

The left-wing opposition is angry that a new clause approved on Wednesday invalidates the whole concept of forcing Mr Berlusconi to choose between his businesses and politics.

The new clause says politicians have the constitutional right to own businesses but not to run them while they are holding office.

'A joke'

This means that Mr Berlusconi's two elder children, who are in nominal charge of running his business empire, cannot be appointed government ministers - an extremely unlikely occurrence.

Mr Berlusconi himself may only have to divest himself of the presidency of the Milan football club.

The left-wing opposition has dismissed the government's conflict of interest bill as toothless and a joke.

Once approved in the Chamber of Deputies, the bill passes to the Senate for consideration before becoming law.

It is unlikely to defuse the growing unease of many Italians at the way in which Mr Berlusconi continues to regard himself as being above the law.

He is involved in a criminal prosecution in Milan for corruption for allegedly bribing a judge back in the 1980s and the question of what would happen if he were to be found guilty has not been resolved by the new law.

Mr Berlusconi claims he is the victim of a vendetta by left-wing judges.