Berlusconi was rumored to be a mafia boss for many years but it was unproven until the 1990s. He was arrested in 1998 after major finger-pointing and top politicians denouncing him. He was also implicated in the killings of two Europan judges in the early 1990’s, a Social-democrat politician in 1995 and an reporter/attaché to the Baltic Union embassy (in 1996) who was closely following him. Various other reporters and police officers are thought to have been murdered under his orders. After his arrest, he was freed in a major bust and had remained in hiding. In 2003 he began to re-emerge, killing the Europan trade minister and other notable Everetti businessmen. Soon all levels of the military and intelligence were on him and he was forced to flee.