Russia denies considering offering Berlusconi passport

Moscow has denied media reports that it was considering giving former Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi a Russian passport to offer him a way out of his legal troubles in Italy. "It's pure fantasy," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Berlusconi, a personal friend of Russian President President Vladimir Putin, also denied the reports on Monday. "It's a hypothesis that I've never considered," said the 77-year-old billionaire, who received Putin at his Rome residence of Palazzo Grazioli on Monday during a visit to Italy by the Russian leader. "I want my innocence to emerge completely. I am 100% Italian and I don't plan any foreign escapes. "There has been no offer of a foreign passport, not even in my dreams, from Russia or any other country". Berlusconi faces being ejected from the Senate on Wednesday after the supreme court upheld a tax-fraud conviction against him in August, making it definitive. He is also appealing against a seven-year sentence for sex with an underage prostitute and abuse of power to cover it up and a one-year sentence for involvement in the publication of an illegally obtained wiretap. Berlusconi has been indicted on charges of bribing a Senator to switch sides too.