Italy’s Supreme Court is due to annouce its ruling on July 31 on former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi’s final appeal against his tax fraud conviction.
If his conviction for illegally purchasing rights for his Mediaset television network is upheld, the court could confirm the sentence of four years in jail and a five year ban on holding public office, which would infuriate his People of Freedom party (PdL) and jeopardise the fragile coalition between the PdL and the Democratic Party.
The public prosecutor on July 30 called for the sentence to be reduced to one year in prison and a three year ban on public office, which would allow Berlusconi to run in the 2015 election, writes La Repubblica.
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