Berlusconi Convicted Of Wiretapping Rival And Providing Leaks To His Newspaper Publisher Brother

AP

Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has been sentenced to a year in prison in banking wiretap scandal, The Associated Press reports.

He is likely to appeal and will remain free in the meantime, according to the BBC.

The 76-year-old was accused of arranging for a police wiretap of a political rival and then having the secret transcript leaked to and published by a newspaper run by his brother.

Berlusconi is presently appealing another conviction — for tax fraud — and faces another imminent verdict regarding allegations that he paid for sex with an underage prostitute and hosted prostitution parties at his Milan villa.

Late Wednesday the ANSA news agency reported that the billionaire media mogul has been acquitted of accusations that his Mediaset media company fraudulently purchased film rights.

Last week prosecutors in Naples opened an investigation into whether Berlusconi bribed a leftist senator there in 2006.

Berlusconi, who ruled Italy for almost 10 years, has been put on trial more than 30 times.

Despite the legal troubles, the four-time PM revived his political career in last month's Italian election as his center-right bloc won more than 29 percent of the vote for the lower house (i.e. Chamber of Deputies).