According to his brother, the Italian ex-Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi no longer needs to be treated in the intensive care unit. The Adnkronos news agency and the Corriere della Sera newspaper quoted Paolo Berlusconi on Sunday as saying “everything is fine” and that he has left the intensive care unit. Shortly before, several Italian media had unanimously reported that the 86-year-old was being transferred to the normal ward.

Berlusconi was admitted to the San Raffaele clinic in Milan on April 5 after complaining of breathing problems. The doctors diagnosed pneumonia and announced leukemia. On Thursday, a statement from his doctors spoke of a “further steady improvement” in Berlusconi’s state of health. However, it was said that he still had to be treated in intensive care.

The right-wing populist politician was Prime Minister of Italy four times between 1994 and 2011 with interruptions. He has had poor health for years. The multi-billionaire had heart surgery in 2016 and in 2019 because of an intestinal obstruction. At the end of 2020 he also fell ill with Covid-19 and pneumonia.

Berlusconi has dominated public life in Italy for decades in a variety of roles – not just as a politician, but also as a media mogul and longtime owner of football club AC Milan.