Silvio Berlusconi
Italy court bans Berlusconi from running for office for two years
An Italian court on Friday prohibited former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi from running for office for two years due to his conviction for tax fraud. However, the ruling must be approved by parliament before taking effect because Berlusconi is currently a member of the Italian Senate. If Berlusconi is expelled from his Senate seat, he will lose parliamentary immunity from arrest and face a possible six-year ban on running for public office. The Senate is expected to vote on Berlusconi's expulsion and office ban next month.
Earlier this month an Italian Senate panel voted in favor of expelling Berlusconi from parliament. In August Italy's Supreme Court of Cassation upheld Berlusconi's four-year prison sentence for tax fraud. In addition to the fraud charges, Berlusconi, who stepped down as prime minister last November, has faced a number of criminal charges including publicly releasing private wiretaps, embezzlement and paying for sex with an underage prostitute.
The former prime minister has been able to avoid serving any prison time by successfully appealing or allowing the statute of limitations on the charge to expire. In January 2011 the Italian Constitutional Court held hearings before striking down a bill backed by Berlusconi that would give Italian public officials amnesty from any charges while holding office.
(Published by Jurist - October 19, 2013)