Berlusconi prison sentence upheld by court (but Silvio's army misunderstood the verdict)

Thursday, 1 August 2013. As millions were holding their breath Supreme Court rejected Silvio Berlusconi's last appeal and sentenced him to a four-year jail term. Live.

Italian and European flag in the background, a special edition of Mediaset's Rete4 newsservice
about its boss, Silvio Berlusconi

Almost everybody in Italy was waiting for the dramatic ending of one of Silvio Berlusconi's trial, a tax fraud case involving the billionaire's mass media company Mediaset.

The Cassation's (or Supreme) Court was in charge of ruling the appeal, the last one, which was rejected.

The sentence, read out loud by the president of the Supreme Court, upheld the prison term (four years), but quashed the ban on Mr Berlusconi to hold public office (actually the court just passed the buck to a Milan's appeal court).

Berlusconi judged by a holiday tribunal

Tuesday, 30 July 2013. In order to avoid statute of limitations, a holiday tribunal is going to judge Silvio Berlusconi's Mediaset tax fraud case.

Silvio Berlusconi; they might get me, at last...

Berlusconi's tax evasion case is the eighth proceeding to be dealt with by the Sezione feriale della Cassazione (Cassation's Holiday Section? Beachwear instead of gowns? Nicole Minetti could be interested in taking part to it...), starting today.

Why did the court decide to rule about this case in the middle of summer? It is made on purpose – say Berlusconi's lawyers – to make sure that the statute of limitation that won't declare null and void the case (or a part of it) in September. Good point.

Berlusconi wants to go to jail, if sentenced... can you believe that?

Saturday, 27 July 2013. Talking to Italian newspaper Libero Quotidiano's director Maurizio Belpietro, Silvio Berlusconi pledges to avoid fleeing the country or resort to house arrest and sit in jail, if he is convicted on Tuesday.

Berlusconi: worried, indifferent or just worn out?

In a couple of days former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi will be facing a definitive sentence, as Italy's Supreme Court meets to examine fraud charges against the politician.

Should his war against the judiciary (and his 20-year-long political career) end up this way, he won't follow his former mentor Bettino Craxi's path and leave the country as an exile, but he will try and experience the prison's life, even though – being almost 78 – he could ask to be granted house arrest (and we know that Berlusconi's houses aren't that bad, frequented by young women and hosting merry and gay parties. I mean merry and joyful parties.).