A court in Milan, Italy on Monday handed down a seven-year sentence to former Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi after finding him guilty of soliciting sex from a minor and abusing his position to cover up the affair.
The sentence by judges in charge of the so-called “bunga bunga” trial was one year more than what had been sought by the prosecution.
A lifetime ban on holding public office was also imposed.
However, the conviction will not be enforced until appeal proceedings are exhausted – a process that could take years – and could be quashed if the statute of limitations expires beforehand.
The verdict “defies any logic,” but was “very much expected,” said Berlusconi’s lawyer, Nicolo Ghedini, who is also a member of his conservative People of Freedom party.
Ghedini confirmed he would appeal.
Fabrizio Cicchitto, another senior PDL figure, said judges had “criminalised not just Berlusconi, but also the nine million Italians who had voted for him” in the February elections.
The three-times premier is a key backer of the grand coalition government led by Prime Minister Enrico Letta.
Cicchitto said the PDL would continue backing the government, in spite of its anger at the ruling.
The centre-left Democratic Party, the other key member of the ruling coalition, simply “took notice” and said it respected “the decisions that the judiciary takes autonomously, whatever they may be.”
Nicola Morra from the Five Star Movement of comedian Beppe Grillo said the opposition group would insist on holding a vote in the Senate to declare Berlusconi unfit for parliament, due to a conflict of interest stemming from his business holdings.
The media mogul was convicted for paying for sex in 2010 with Karima El Mahroug, a Moroccan nightclub dancer, whose stage name is Ruby the Heart Stealer.
She was 17 years old at the time and he was the Prime Minister.
While prostitution is legal in Italy, paying for sex with those under 18 is a crime.
Berlusconi, 76, was also found guilty of pressuring Milan police to release El Mahroug from custody after she was held on suspicion of theft.
He reportedly told officers she was the niece of then-Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak.
Neither Berlusconi nor El Mahroug was present when the verdict was read out in Milan.
In a trial that lasted more than two years, an all-female court heard that Berlusconi would hold night-time parties where women performed lap dance routines in a special “bunga bunga” room, dressed up as nuns, nurses or public figures.
Berlusconi always professed his innocence.
In summing up for the defence, lawyers stressed that El Mahroug had denied having had sex with the former premier, while police officers dismissed claims that they were unduly pressured.
The court asked prosecutors to investigate them and other defence witnesses – including showgirls who admitted to receiving regular cash payments from Berlusconi and deputy foreign minister Bruno Archi – for giving false testimonies.
The prosecution’s case rested on wiretapped conversations, statements made by El Mahroug under interrogation – which she later disowned – testimonies from other women and from a juvenile judge who did not want police to release the dancer.
Berlusconi has other legal troubles, including a final appeal ruling expected by the end of the year on a tax fraud case that could force him to step down from parliament.
A judge is also expected to decide on Thursday whether he should face trial on charges of bribing an opposition lawmaker.
On the same day, Italy’s top appeals court is due to consider whether his firm Mediaset should pay a hefty compensation bill to a business rival.
dpa/NAN.
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