A sign that the investigation into the role of Mr. Alibozek was nearing an end emerged recently when he was scheduled for sentencing next month before Judge Dorsey.

The physical test, he said, was changed this month, as the Justice Department's investigation neared an end.

But it is a sign that the long investigation of him is nearing an end and that prosecutors are likely seek an indictment.

The investigation was nearing completion, and charges would soon be laid, he indicated.

Corriere reported, however, that calling witnesses like Mr. Berlusconi and Mr. Mills indicated that the investigation was nearing an end.

A law enforcement official said yesterday that the investigation was nearing its conclusion, and that criminal charges might be brought as early as this week.

Word then spread quickly yesterday that the investigation was nearing a resolution.

Still, investors did not punish the stock, in part because Cablevision indicated that the investigation of accounting improprieties was nearing an end.

'We are waiting for a pathologist's report but it would be fair to say the investigation is nearing completion,' she said.

An investigation of that accident by the United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration is nearing completion, officials close to the investigation said.