Three years ago, the prosecutor Tomasso Coletta put forward the case against Cavalli. The charges: tax fraud, as the Italian tax authorities, the Guardia di Finanza, didn't find that the improvements (a helicopter hangar, the landing pad and a swimming pool) were in any way related to the fashion business.

For the last years the court studied the Cavalli file and this week both a verdict and a sentence are expected.

The world famous Italian fashion designer finds his action totally legal and well justified:
"My house is not my home - it's my workplace, it's my office, it's my imagination and where I have fashion shoots. It's the place where Madonna, Sting, Cindy Crawford and Jennifer Lopez try the clothes that I create. It's where I welcome my most important clients."

The 65 year old designer's estate at Pian dei Giullari is worth an estimate $18 million and is home to him, his wife, former top model Eva Duringer and their three children.

If found guilty, the designer faces up to two years in jail. But there is also the possibility of appeal.