An Italian court sentencedex-prime minister Silvio Berlusconi on Thursday to one year injail over the publication by his family's newspaper of atranscript of a leaked wiretap connected to a banking scandal in2006.
Italian justice system rules mean that the 76-year-old mediabillionaire would not have to serve any jail time until theappeals process has been exhausted, and a higher court may stilloverturn the ruling.
It came in the middle of a complex political impasse arisingfrom an inconclusive election last week that left no party ableto form a government on its own, although Berlusconi'scenter-right formation emerged as the second strongest inparliament.
Berlusconi is in the middle of a series of trials, withseparate cases over charges of tax fraud and paying for sex withan underage prostitute due to wind up this month.
He has denied any wrongdoing in the case and the verdict wasimmediately criticized by his lawyer Piero Longo, who hasfrequently criticized Milan judges over the long series oftrials Berlusconi has faced over the years.
"I'm not surprised, given that it's Milan and it has to dowith Berlusconi," he told reporters after the verdict.
"But I am concerned and shocked because I'm quite convincedthat the charges against Berlusconi were weak and contradictoryand even completely lacking."
Berlusconi's brother Paolo, publisher of the family-owned IlGiornale daily, was sentenced to two years and three months overthe same case, which centered on confidential wiretap transcriptsrelated to a bank takeover which appeared in the newspaper.
The court also awarded 80,000 euros in damages to PieroFassino, who was head of the main centre-left party at the timeof the incident and whose remarks were caught on the wiretap andpublished in the newspaper.
Fassino asserted that Il Giornale, a right-wing newspaper,published the transcripts shortly before the 2006 election tocreate the impression that Fassino had exercised improperpressure in the attempted takeover of Banca Nazionale del Lavoroby insurer Unipol in 2005.
Late on Wednesday, Italy's highest appeals court upheld aruling clearing Berlusconi of tax fraud in connection with hisMediatrade broadcasting rights firm.
The decision cleared Berlusconi of accusations thatMediatrade, the broadcast rights unit of his Mediasetgroup, acquired film and television rights at inflated prices toevade 10 million euros ($13 million) in taxes in 2004.
His trial on charges of paying for sex with a juvenileprostitute is expected to wind up on March 18 while a separatetrial over broadcast rights is expected to conclude on March 23.
Despite his relative success in the election, Berlusconi'sprospects of a return to government have been held back by therefusal of center-left leader Pier Luigi Bersani to accept a"grand coalition" with his longstanding rivals.