Berlusconi found guilty of tax evasion

Former Italian President Silvio Berlusconi has been found guilty of tax evasion by an Italian court. He was given a four-year jail sentence, which will be reduced to one year thanks to an amnesty law ratified in 2006 to avoid prison overcrowding. Berlusconi, who is at the top of an Italian media empire, Mediaset, was tried along with another ten defendants for buying the rights to broadcast American films for his private television networks through a series of offshore companies. Berlusconi, who has in the past faced numerous trials, has never been to jail. He will remain free awaiting the appeal. The former president and his co-defendants have been ordered to pay 10 million euros in damages. Berlusconi is also banned from holding public office for three years. Analysts say that Berlusconi is very unlikely to ever see the inside of a prison cell, since his conviction needs to be confirmed by two successive courts of appeal. Berlusconi is currently on another trial for paying an underage girl to have sex with him. He denies the allegations. The politician announced two days ago that he was stepping down as leader of his political party, the People of Freedom Party.