Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has been handed a jail sentence and barred from office after being found guilty of tax fraud, the BBC reports.
The Milan court sentenced him to four years but later cut it to one year because of an amnesty law.
Mr Berlusconi condemned the sentence as “intolerable judicial harassment”. He will remain free pending appeals.
He and others were accused of buying US film rights at inflated prices via two offshore companies under his control.
It is the first time Mr Berlusconi – who has faced a number of trials – has been convicted of any crime concerning his business activities.
He has in the past either been cleared, or cases have run beyond the judicial time limit.
