Berlusconi Convicted of Tax Fraud, Receives Sentence
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Pete Souza / The White House(MILAN, Italy) — Former Italian leader and convicted fraudster Silvio Berlusconi will be spending some quality time with older Italians.
A Milan court has agreed to allow the 77-year-old billionaire to volunteer once a week at an old-age home instead of being put under house arrest for his 2013 tax fraud conviction. The court rejected, however, Berlusconi’s request to act as a “motivational speaker” for the older residents.
Berlusconi was originally sentenced to four years in jail, which was later commuted to just one year. Italy does not send those over 70 to prison for non-violent crimes.
As part of the conviction, the former leader was also expelled from parliament and banned from running for office for a period of six years.
The ban, however, does not stop him from campaigning politically. He’s leading the charge for his center-right party Forza Italia in the European Union elections next month.
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