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| Silvio Berlusconi sentenced to four years for tax fraud | Silvio Berlusconi sentenced to four years for tax fraud |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has been sentenced to four years in prison for tax fraud. | Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has been sentenced to four years in prison for tax fraud. |
| Mr Berlusconi and others were accused of buying US film rights at inflated prices via two offshore companies under his control. | Mr Berlusconi and others were accused of buying US film rights at inflated prices via two offshore companies under his control. |
| The former prime minister is expected to appeal against the verdict. | The former prime minister is expected to appeal against the verdict. |
| He has faced a number of trials connected to his business affairs, but has either been cleared or cases have run beyond the judicial time limit. | He has faced a number of trials connected to his business affairs, but has either been cleared or cases have run beyond the judicial time limit. |
| In the case for which he was sentenced on Friday, prosecutors alleged that part of the money declared for the purchase of film rights was skimmed off to create illegal slush funds, reducing tax liabilities for Mr Berlusconi's Mediaset group. | |
| The court handed Mr Berlusconi a longer sentence than the three years and eight months requested by prosecutors. | The court handed Mr Berlusconi a longer sentence than the three years and eight months requested by prosecutors. |
| It ordered him and his co-defendants to pay 10m euros (£8m) in damages and banned him from holding public office for three years. | |
| Both the jail term and the ban would only take effect if the sentence is upheld by a higher court, Italian news agency Ansa reported. | |
| In all, 11 people were on trial. | |
| Three were acquitted including Mediaset chairman Fedele Confalonieri, a close associate of Mr Berlusconi, and four were cleared because the statute of limitations had run out. | |
| The three others convicted alongside the former prime minister included Hollywood producer Frank Agrama, who received a three-year sentence. | |
| The trial began six years ago and has been subject to repeated delays, in part because of an immunity law that protected Mr Berlusconi while he was prime minister. | |
| Sex case | |
| Mr Berlusconi has faced various legal cases over the years. | |
| In February a court threw out a corruption case against him after the statute of limitations had expired. | |
| He is also currently on trial charged with paying for sex with an underage girl and trying to cover it up. He denies any wrongdoing. | |
| Mr Berlusconi, 76, has dominated Italian politics for most of the last 20 years. | |
| He was forced to resign as the prime minister of a centre-right coalition last November, and recently said he had no plans to stand again in elections due next year. | He was forced to resign as the prime minister of a centre-right coalition last November, and recently said he had no plans to stand again in elections due next year. |
| He has repeatedly claimed that he is a victim of persecution by a left-wing judiciary. | |
| Are you in Italy? What is your reaction to the sentence? Send us your comments using the form below. | Are you in Italy? What is your reaction to the sentence? Send us your comments using the form below. |