Parmalat and the office of the Milan magistrates declined to comment on the independent auditor's report.

A total of 13 deputies and former ministers were under investigation by Milan magistrates, and nine were being investigated in other towns.

Gherardo Colombo, one of the two Milan magistrates leading the investigation, provided a blunt answer.

As those inquiries have unfolded, so has the confrontation with the Milan magistrates.

The inquiry by the Milan magistrates coincided with - and was indirectly nurtured by - a sea change in Italian politics.

The interview apparently satisfied the Milan magistrates that there was no need to arrest him.

He had announced this fact to the Milan magistrates, leading to the top-secret investigation.

The Milan magistrates who have spearheaded the inquiries said they would resign.

Milan magistrates said the decree in effect bound their hands.

A9 Remarks by a Milan magistrate throw Italy back into turmoil.