A Milan court on Tuesday upheld a jail term for British corporate lawyer David Mills for taking a bribe to hush up evidence in trials involving Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi. Mills, who denies wrongdoing, has one automatic appeal left in Italy's three-tier justice system. Confirming a four-and-a-half year sentence handed down in February, the Milan court said Mills was guilty of taking a $600,000 bribe relating to evidence given in trials involving Berlusconi's Fininvest group in 1997 and 1998. Mills, a former consultant for Berlusconi on offshore tax havens, was not present in court but issued a statement saying ''what has occurred today is a tough blow to my faith in justice''.

''I am certain, however, that there will be a Court able to judge me serenely''. Berlusconi's top lawyer, Niccolo' Ghedini, issued a statement saying the ruling was ''illogical'' and ''against all the facts of the case, and the law''. Ghedini claimed the appeal had been heard ''in record time, denying all evidence and refusing all possibility of defence''. The attorney voiced confidence that the conviction would be quashed by the Cassation Court, Italy's top appeals court. Berlusconi has denied all knowledge of the payment and claims he should never have been involved in the case. Italy's Communist Party claimed, however, that ''the Mills verdict is a verdict against Berlusconi''. The opposition Italy of Values (IdV) Party, headed by former Milan graftbuster Antonio Di Pietro, said that ''in a civilised country ruled by the state of law the premier would resign immediately''. ''(Berlusconi) should be in jail rather than in the premier's office,'' Di Pietro said. Mills will ''definitely'' use his one remaining appeal, his lawyer said.

''We will go to the Cassation Court; we are extremely convinced there was not (sufficient) evidence to support this verdict,'' he said. When it released its motivation for Mills' conviction in May, the court said Mills had committed perjury in the two trials, acting ''as a false witness...to allow Silvio Berlusconi and his Fininvest group impunity from the charges or, at least, to keep their huge profits''. Berlusconi had been a co-defendant with Mills before the February verdict but was struck out of proceedings after an immunity law passed last year by his government suspended his involvement in the case while in office. But the immunity law was recently held unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court and the part of the case relating to Berlusconi is set to resume. The trial will have to start from scratch, however, under a new judge.

Judicial sources said Tuesday it was ''difficult to say'' when a date for the start of those fresh proceedings could be set. Meanwhile, the Milan appeals judges are expected to issue their formal explanation of Tuesday's verdict in two weeks. The statute of limitations on the Mills charges has been estimated to expire in April. Among the evidence against Mills was a letter sent to his accountant in 2004 in which he said the payment was a ''gift'' and that he had saved a 'Mr B.' from ''a great deal of trouble''. ''I told no lies but I turned some very tricky corners,'' the letter said. Mills said the money came from another client, Neapolitan businessman Diego Attanasio, who has however denied this. In February the Milan court also ordered Mills to pay 250,000 euros in damages for harming the reputation of the Italian premier's office. This, too, was confirmed on Tuesday. Mills has always voiced confidence he will eventually be cleared. His estranged wife, British Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell, has said that even though the couple were separated she had ''never doubted his innocence''. The pair's marriage broke down in the wake of media pressure after the story came out.

On Monday, in a second corruption trial reactivated by the Constitutional Court, a first hearing was set for November 16. Berlusconi, who has said for years he is being hounded by allegedly leftist prosecutors, has also denied wrongdoing in that trial, which is about fraud in the sale of TV rights.