Berlusconi's sex trial ends with a seven years sentence in prison for the ex-PM

Mon, 24 June 2013. Berlusconi found guilty of having abused power and had sex with a under-age prostitute, sentenced to seven years in jail.

After more than seven hours of deliberation, today Milan's court judges sentenced to seven years in jail the 76-year old former prime minister of Italy guilty of a couple of charges related to the Rubygate (the inquiry about the Moroccan belly dancer - and allegedly whore - Karima El Mahroug ).

7-year jail sentence for Mr Berlusconi

The sentence involves a ban from holding public office for life. All this pending the outcome of an appeal.

Ruby the heartstealer

The media billionaire was accused of having had sex with El Mahroug – the young woman is also known by her stage name Ruby Rubacuori (Italian for “Heartstealer”) - when she was a minor, and having used his position of prime minister to force a police station's staff to release the girl who was in custody. Ruby was released into the hands of Nicole Minetti, who is also accused of having had sex for money with Silvio Berlusconi (but she says it was true love) in a different branch of the inquiry.

Ruby denies having had sex with the prime minister, however she was - with hordes of other young girls - a usual guest on Silvio Berlusconi's bunga-bunga parties (and a member of the bunga-bunga girls). Photos (or videos) of her stripping at nightclubs (or just to promote a book) might raise the wrong opinion about her.

Mr Berlusconi also denies having had sex with El Mahrough and says that there was nothing wrong in making a phone call to a police station. He thinks the turmoil is due to an attempt of a coup d'état by communists. He tried to warn USA president Barack Obama and German chancellor Angela Merkel about it, but even if they politely listen to his moaning, they did not bother to take any measure nor they did bring the question to the ONU.

Nicole Minetti (rear view)

Silvio Berlusconi's prosecutor nemesis – Ilda Boccassini – was not present in the court today, but she is surely pleased with the sentence (actually prosecution asked for 6 years in prison), even though the PdL president's lawyers will surely appeal against the decision. And the appeals process is a lengthy one, in good old Italy.

In the run up of the trial, Mr Berlusconi declared that the judgement will not have any major political repercussions for Italy, but things might go differently.

Realising that the situation was about to collapse, in the last few months Silvio Berlusconi started campaigning against the magistrates via demonstrations, TV mockumentaries and the creation of a so-called Army of Liberty, to fight for his freedom.