Milan court sentences Silvio Berlusconi to seven years and bans former PM from public office in 'bun

[snagglepuss]

Source: Guardian

Milan court sentences Silvio Berlusconi to seven years and bans former PM from public office in 'bunga bunga' case. More details soon …

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/

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WOW. The asshat is actually going to jail.

[geek tragedy]

1. Endless appeals ahead. He'll can exhaust the process for the rest of his natural life nt

[snagglepuss]

2. Very true but I would imagine this at least stops him from holding elected office.

At least I hope it does

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. No, he won't go to jail

The BBC ticker points out "but ruling depends on appeal". But more than that:

Italy's former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has been convicted and sentenced to a year in jail over an illegal wiretap.
...
Under Italian law, prison sentences handed down to those over the age of 75 can be commuted to house arrest.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21698802

You'll notice he didn't go to jail for that conviction either. Or when an appeals court confirmed his 4 year sentence for tax fraud: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57583497/silvio-berlusconi-sentenced-to-4-years-in-prison-after-tax-fraud-verdict-upheld/

Berlusconi will never go to prison. If we're lucky, he'll be banned from politics. I doubt he'll be banned from owning major media companies, though.

[brett_jv]

4. Wow, that guy is crazy slippery ...

... you can relax, on both sides of the tracks, and maniacs ... don't blow holes, in bandsmen by remote control ... and everyone has recourse to the law ... and no-one kills the children anymore ...

I felt compelled to finish up her sig line lyrics ... great tune, great album. I probably haven't heard that tune in 20 years, but still remember exactly how that verse goes ... and you omitted the shouted-out lyric 'a real one!'

[rpannier]

8. The tax fraud appeal actually comes up for a final decision in November or December. It's still on

appeal

[Nye Bevan]

5. It feels like they have been sentencing this guy to jail for the last 10 years.

And he never ends up going there. I will be utterly amazed if he ever sees the inside of a cell.

[brett_jv]

6. Well sure ... we all know there's a separate system of justice for the uber-rich ...

The only time they actually go to jail is when they rip off other really rich people.

[rpannier]

7. The trial verdict in November or December will be the big one

If he loses that one, he will have exhausted all his appeals

Little info:

A less salacious but potentially far more damaging verdict, expected by the end of the year: the definitive ruling on tax fraud charges for which he is approaching the last roll of the dice.

If the court of cassation upholds his conviction, he will face not only a four-year jail sentence but also – more pertinently for a man whose political ambitions have never died – a five-year ban on public office.