Berlusconi sentenced to a year in jail over wiretap case

Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has been sentenced to serve a year-long prison term for leaking police wiretap transcripts to one of the newspapers he owns, although he will be able to appeal the conviction.

AFP wrote that Berlusconi must face two more March verdicts on top of the wiretap conviction — one regarding tax fraud, and one regarding sex with an underage prostitute.

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Berlusconi will be able to appeal the conviction, and wil not have to spend any days incarcerated until appeals trials have been completed.

The leaked wiretap was related to the takeover of Banca Nazionale di Lavoro by the Unipol insurer.

The perennially in-trouble Berlusconi was cleared of tax fraud in connection with the Mediatrade broadcasting firm he owns on March 6th, wrote the Independent Ireland, one of a series of verdicts that will come down this month.

The Telegraph noted that Berlusconi's political alliance is the second-strongest group in the Italian parliament, and that Berlusconi hopes to return to the political stage.