Piersilvio and Marina Berlusconi, the son and daughter of Italy's prime minister, are being investigated for possible money laundering, court officials said today.
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is already under investigation as part of the inquiry, started in 2001, into suspected fraudulent television deals with a US company in the mid-1990s.
Milan-based prosecutors are investigating Mr Berlusconi for suspected embezzlement, false bookkeeping and tax fraud.
The investigation focuses on the purchase by Mediaset of television rights for US films in 1994 and 1995 through two offshore firms. Investigators suspect the purchase costs were inflated by about €150 million.
Mediaset has denied accusations of fraud.
Court officials, who asked not to be named, said investigators were now probing the second generation of Berlusconis for suspected money laundering.
Piersilvio is deputy chairman of Mediaset and Marina is deputy chair of Fininvest, the family holding company which controls Italy's top private broadcaster.
