EU top court says it alone can rule on Berlusconi's ECB appeal

The European Union's top court said on Wednesday it alone has the power to rule on the European Central Bank's decision to freeze Silvio Berlusconi's stake in Italy's Banca Mediolanum MI>.

"The EU Courts alone have jurisdiction to determine, as an incidental matter, whether the legality of the ECB's decision...is affected by any defects of the preparatory acts adopted by the Banca d'Italia," the Court of Justice of the European Union said in response to a question from Italian judges.