Silvio Berlusconi sentenced to four years for tax fraud

Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has been sentenced to four years in prison for tax fraud.

Mr Berlusconi and others were accused of buying US film rights at inflated prices via two offshore companies under his control.
The former prime minister is expected to appeal against the verdict.
He has faced a number of trials connected to his business affairs, but has either been cleared or cases have run beyond the judicial time limit.
In the case for which he was sentenced on Friday, prosecutors alleged that part of the money declared for the purchase of film rights was skimmed off to create illegal slush funds, reducing tax liabilities for Mediaset, one of Mr Berlusconi's companies.

The court handed Mr Berlusconi a longer sentence than the three years and eight months requested by prosecutors.
It also banned Mr Berlusconi from holding public office, though the ban would only take effect if the sentence is upheld by a higher court, Italian news agency Ansa reported.
Mr Berlusconi has dominated Italian politics for most of the last 20 years.
He was forced to resign as the prime minister of a centre-right coalition last November, and recently said he had no plans to stand again in elections due next year.
The trial began six years ago, and has been subject to repeated delays.
bbc.co.uk
26/10/12
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• Silvio Berlusconi condamné à 4 ans de prison pour fraude fiscale

Silvio Berlusconi, l'ex-président du Conseil italien, a été condamné vendredi par le tribunal de Milan à quatre ans de prison pour fraude fiscale, dans l'affaire Mediaset. Il lui a aussi été interdit d'exercer un mandat public pendant trois ans.

Le Cavaliere, âgé de 76 ans, est accusé d'avoir artificiellement gonflé le prix des droits de diffusion de films, achetés par des sociétés-écrans, lors de leur revente à son empire audiovisuel Mediaset.
lemonde.fr
26/10/12
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• Ex-Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi (flie photo) has been sentenced to four years in prison for tax evasion

(CNN) -- Silvio Berlusconi, the charming, billionaire ex-prime minister of Italy, has been sentenced to four years in prison for tax evasion, the latest chapter in the life of Italy's most colorful public figure.

Until recently, Berlusconi appeared to be leading a charmed life. His vast business empire spanned media, construction and football, making him the 118th-richest person in the world, according to Forbes, with a net worth of $6.2 billion, and he was Italy's longest-serving post-war prime minister before quitting in 2011.

But last year he became embroiled in charges that he had paid for sex with a 17-year-old girl; his coalition government became ever more fragile; and Berlusconi resigned his premiership as Europe's financial crisis threatened to embroil Italy......http://edition.cnn.com(26/10/12)
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ΑΠΟΦΑΣΗ ΔΙΚΑΣΤΗΡΙΟΥ ΜΙΛΑΝΟΥ

• Ποινή φυλάκισης 4 ετών στον Μπερλουσκόνι

Σε ποινή φυλάκισης τεσσάρων ετών και σε στέρηση του δικαιώματος του εκλέγειν και του εκλέγεσθαι για φορολογική απάτη στην υπόθεση του ομίλου Mediaset, καταδικάστηκε ο πρώην πρωθυπουργός της Ιταλίας, Σίλβιο Μπερλουσκόνι, όπως ανακοίνωσε σήμερα δικαστήριο του Μιλάνου, στη βόρεια Ιταλία.

«Πρόκειται για μία ακόμη συνέχεια του γνωστού έργου που προβλέπει τον δικαστικό κατατρεγμό του Μπερλουσκόνι», δήλωσε ο γραμματέας του κεντροδεξιού κόμματος, Λαός της Ελευθερίας, Αντζελίνο Αλμπάνο.
Υπενθυμίζεται ότι χθες με ανακοίνωσή του ο Μπερλουσκόνι γνωστοποίησε ότι δεν θα είναι υποψήφιος πρωθυπουργός της κεντροδεξιάς στις βουλευτικές εκλογές.

ethnos gr
26/10/12