E ‘finita. It’s finally over – sort of.
Italy’s high court has ruled that the sentence handed down by a lower court for former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is appropriate – mostly.
It seems, when it comes to Berlusconi, nothing is ever quite certain.
Berlusconi was convicted of tax evasion last fall for his role in a tax fraud scheme involving a series of offshore companies. He was sentenced to four years in prison, forced to pay a fine of 10 million euros (US $13,209,000 as of today), and was banned from holding public office for five years. In May, an Italian appeals court in Milan confirmed the sentencing.
At the time, Berlusconi caught a break on sentencing: the original four-year sentence had already been reduced to one year due to prison overcrowding. That didn’t change. And realistically, the 76-year-old will likely never see the inside of a cell due to his advanced age.
However, the high court did rule that Berlusconi’s ban from public office should be reconsidered. That is exactly what Berlusconi wanted. Even plagued by scandal, Berlusconi remains highly popular in his home country and has indicated that he hopes to run again for office.
So buono, right?
Not exactly. In June, Berlusconi was sentenced to seven years in prison for yet another conviction for soliciting sex with an underage girl. The girl, a Moroccan pole dancer named Karima el Mahroug, called “Ruby the Heart Stealer” was arrested for stealing and Berlusconi abused his political power to have Milan police drop the charges. Berlusconi has planned an appeal, claiming that he is innocent.
Berlusconi is also awaiting a decision on charges that he bribed a senator to switch parties. Sergio De Gregorio, a formerly left-wing senator from Naples, was allegedly paid to flip to Berlusconi’s more conservative People of Freedom party. De Gregorio has admitted taking the money. The trial was anticipated for summer but the next hearing has been slated for September 16th with any actual trial beginning at least a week later.
All of this hasn’t phased Berlusconi. He has bigger plans in store. In addition to launching a political comeback, he’s crafting a personal comeback: he’s announced plans to marry a woman fifty years his junior. And it will cost him. His engagement to 27-year-old Francesca Pascale will put a dent in his fortune, estimated by Forbes to be $6.2 billion. That amount landed him at #194 in the world’s billionaire list in 2013. But in order to marry Pascale, he had to divorce his previous wife, Veronica Lario, which will cost the billionaire nearly $50 million per year.
Despite all of the scandals, Berlusconi says he will press on. Not everyone in the country is thrilled. One of those opposed to Berlusconi, identified as Massimo Cantellari, said, “We were all hoping and praying that the court decision would mean we’d seen the last of Berlusconi, but it’s not to be. He is like a fly that keeps buzzing around even when you try to swat it away. But the difference is the consequences for the country are severe.”
