Race against clock for Mills' defence

As the deadline for defence lawyers to respond to the allegations of bribery charges runs out today, the countdown begins to the trial in Italy of David Mills.

On 16 February the prosecutors lodged their dossier of evidence with the Milan court, giving the defence 20 days to react to the allegations. The judge now has 30 days to examine the evidence and decide whether the trial should go ahead.

But the defence may choose to delay proceedings by insisting that Mr Berlusconi or Mr Mills is interviewed again before the evidence is considered.

It is in the interests of the defence to spin proceedings out as for as long as it can due to tight deadlines imposed by the newly revised statute of limitations law, a tactic that has allowed Silvio Berlusconi to see previous cases against him end.

Another uncertainty is caused by the failure of the Metropolitan Police to send to the Milan prosecutors computer files they seized from Tessa Jowell's home and David Mills' office three weeks ago. All the paper evidence has reached Milan, but two computers taken in raids on 10 February have not been passed on.

A source in Milan said: "We have had more collaboration from 'tax paradises' than British authorities."

Prosecutors say that Mr Mills' claim that the money at the heart of the case leads back not to Silvio Berlusconi but to a Neapolitan shipping magnate called Diego Attanasio appears to be borne out by paperwork seized in February.

But they allege Mr Mills deliberately mixed up his own affairs with those of his clients to obscure the origin of the money.