BBC News, 7
March 2013
Berlusconi's
era
Silvio Berlusconi has been beset by accusations of criminality |
He was
accused of arranging for a police wiretap concerning a political rival to be
leaked and published in a newspaper run by his brother.
Mr
Berlusconi is likely to appeal and will remain free in the meantime.
He is
presently appealing against another conviction and faces two more verdicts in
the coming weeks.
One of the
rulings expected later this month is about tax fraud, and the other trial
concerns allegations the he paid for sex with an underage prostitute.
The BBC's
Alan Johnston in Rome says there is no real prospect of Mr Berlusconi going to
jail, but the conviction is another very serious blow to his reputation.
It comes
weeks after his right-wing coalition did better than expected in a general
election, and is expected to form a major bloc in the next parliament.
Transcript
In October
last year, Mr Berlusconi was convicted in another tax fraud case and sentenced
to a year in jail.
That
conviction is currently subject to an appeal.
Prosecutors
brought the wiretap case after a transcript of a phone conversation intercepted
by the authorities was published in the newspaper Il Giornale, owned by Mr
Berlusconi's brother Paolo.
The
conversation took place between the head of insurer Unipol and Piero Fassino,
who was the leader of the biggest centre-left party and Mr Berlusconi's biggest
political rival at the time.
Unipol was
trying to take over BNL bank in 2005. Magistrates had ordered the wiretap as
part of an investigation into inappropriate interference in the takeover.
The
publication of the transcript in a national newspaper broke secrecy rules, and
Mr Berlusconi was accused of obtaining the transcript from the wiretap company
used by magistrates.
In numerous
trials over the years, Mr Berlusconi has been accused of charges including
accounting fraud, perjury, bribery, corruption, having unlawful sex with a
minor, and fraud over the sale of film rights.
Mr
Berlusconi says he is the target of a vendetta by politically biased prosecutors.
He has denied all the accusations against him and has either been acquitted or
let off under statutes of limitations.
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