Berlusconi criticizes 4 year sentence for tax evasion

Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi criticized here on Friday his four-year prison sentence for tax evasion, calling it a result of a "judicial scramble" and it will not prevent him from staying in politics. In a televised message to his supporters, Berlusconi, following a meeting with leaders of his party, described a part of Italian judiciary as a "renegade" that had been chasing him ever since he entered the political arena in 1994. "In return for all the efforts that I have carried out for this country in the course of 20 years, I now receive a baseless sentence as a reward, which deprives me of my personal freedom and my political rights," said the former Premier. Also, Berlusconi affirmed that he is ongoing in his political activities, pointing out at the same time that it is necessary to call the best youth and best forces in order for them to work together to re-establish "Forza Italia" party, a party he founded in 1993 before he joined it to the People of Freedom party in 2008.