words by Carol King
A Milan court has convicted former Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi of tax fraud and sentenced him to four years in prison.
The case was regarding dealings in TV rights by Berlusconi’s Mediaset business empire. Mediaset is Italy’s largest commercial broadcaster.
The media mogul was not in the courtroom to hear the verdict. The judge ordered that Berlusconi pay the Agenzia delle Entrate (Italian Revenue Agency) €10 million in damages and banned him from public office for three years. Prosecutors had asked for a prison sentence of three years and eight months for Berlusconi.
However, the verdict is not final: Berlusconi’s sentence is primo grado (the first instance of a court judgment) and the Italian legal system allows for two appeals. Berlusconi is expected to appeal. Given that Berlusconi is 76-years-old, he is also unlikely to go to prison because the Italian courts do not send those aged more than 70 to jail unless they are deemed dangerous.
The Mediaset case was long running and began in 2006; the trial lasted 6 months. Berlusconi has a long record of criminal allegations, including false accounting, tax fraud, mafia collusion, corruption and bribery of police officers and judges. In all of the previous cases, he has been acquitted in the first instance or on appeal, or the charges were dropped because the statute of limitations had expired. Laws passed while Berlusconi was in office shortened the time limit for prosecution of various offences. The Milan court’s verdict is the first time he has been sentenced.
Berlusconi still faces other charges: he is on trial for underage prostitution and abuse of office for attempting to cover up his alleged payment of the underage woman for sex.
The verdict follows Berlusconi’s announcement that he would not stand for re-election in the Italian general election in 2013.
