Rome ( CNN ) -- Italy 's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi will learn the fate of a controversial law that would shield him from prosecution on Thursday , the country 's Constitutional Court said Tuesday . The court heard arguments Tuesday about the legality of the `` legitimate impediment '' law , which would effectively grant top Italian government officials immunity while they are in office . The Berlusconi-backed law says top government officials can not be prosecuted because their officials duties make it impossible for them to attend court hearings . The law would suspend criminal trials until the official leaves office . The law was approved in March 2010 , but prosecutors in Milan challenged the constitutionality of the measure , saying it should be judges , not politicians , who determined whether someone had time to attend court . Two separate trials against Berlusconi are pending , and a third one is in the works . He 's accused of bribing a witness to commit perjury in one case , and of tax fraud and other financial irregularities in another . Both trials began but were suspended when the immunity law was passed . Berlusconi has called the charges politically motivated . A third case against the prime minister , also related to tax fraud , is in preliminary stages . Berlusconi has been tried on at least 17 separate charges since first taking office as prime minister in 1994 , but remains very popular with the Italian public . The immunity law was due to expire 18 months after it was passed , which would make it expire in October . The Constitutional Court can rule it is unconstitutional and strike it down , uphold it , or rule it partially unconstitutional and modify it , Italian media reported .
Silvio Berlusconi 's government passed a law protecting officials from corruption . Critics challenged it on constitutional grounds . Berlusconi was facing two separate prosecutions when the law was passed .