[JURIST] Italy's Superior Council of the Magistracy (CSM) [official website, in Italian], the country's top self-governing judiciary body, has accused the Italian Intelligence and Security Service (SISMI) under the government of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi [BBC profile; JURIST news archive] of spying on approximately 200 judges and magistrates that were deemed "politically unreliable" by the government. The CSM accused Nicolo Pollari, head of SISMI under Berlusconi, of using the military intelligence agency's resources against prosecutors and judges investigating corruption charges against Berlusconi [JURIST report], as well as spying on foreign judiciary officials affiliated with the European Union.

Pollari was dismissed by the Italian cabinet [JURIST report] last November due to allegations that he was involved in the alleged 2003 CIA kidnapping [JURIST news archive; WP timeline] of Egyptian cleric Moustafa Hassan Nasr [Wikipedia profile]. Pollari, another SISMI official, and 26 CIA agents are being tried for their role in Nasr's alleged kidnapping. Friday's Independent has more.