The 76-year-old has been found guilty of sex and
corruption offences and also banned from taking up political office pending an
appeal
AC Milan president Silvio Berlusconi has been sentenced
to seven years in prison after being found guilty of charges of corruption and
soliciting an underage prostitute.
The 76-year-old was accused of paying for sex with
Moroccan girl Karima El Mahroug in 2010, when she was 17, as well as abusing
his position in public office for attempting to force her release from police
custody over a charge of petty theft.
Although prosecutors sought a six-year custodial sentence
for the former Italian Premier, a court in Milan issued a seven-year punishment
following the guilty verdict in addition to a lifetime ban from politics, pending
any appeal from Berlusconi's solicitors.
However, it could be months or even years before he
serves any punishment, with Berlusconi entitled to appeal the verdict twice
before it becomes final.
Berlusconi is already embroiled in several legal battles
in the Italian courts. In October 2012, he was issued a four-year prison
sentence for tax fraud, which has been upheld following a first appeal.
He released a statement on Monday saying: "I was
truly convinced I would be absolved because there was absolutely no possibility
of being found guilty based on the evidence."
Berlusconi's lawyer Niccolo Ghedini revealed they would
launch an appeal, describing the sentence as "beyond reality" and
"completely illogical".
He added: "The judges even went beyond the
prosecutors' request [for a six-year sentence]."
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