Italy™s former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is to request to serve his 12-month sentence for tax fraud in the form of community service rather than house arrest.
According to Berlusconi™s lawyer Franco Coppi, the former premier plans to hand in an application next week to a Milan court requesting to work for social services.
œIf there is no change of strategy, by the end of next week we will make a request for community service for Silvio Berlusconi,” Coppi stated.
A final decision will be made later this month by a judge after conducting a review of the application.
Italy™s Supreme Court convicted Berlusconi on August 1 over tax evasion, and sentenced him to one year of community service or house arrest, making it the first definitive conviction against him after dozens of trials in almost 20 years of political career.
The lawyer™s announcement is the opposite of what Berlusconi said earlier this year prior to the final ruling, when he declared that he did not want to do community service œlike a common criminal.”
On October 4, Berlusconi came a step closer to political exile after a Senate committee voted to recommend the former premier expulsion from parliament over his tax-fraud conviction and jail sentence.
The decision by the committee should also be ratified by a full Senate chamber vote planned to be held later in the month.
Meanwhile, Berlusconi is currently appealing other convictions against him, including solicitation of an underage prostitute, abuse of office and leaking a confidential police wiretap to damage a political rival. Furthermore, Berlusconi is under investigation for bribing a senator to join his People of Freedom party.
Berlusconi, who served as Italy™s prime minister from 1994 to 2011, resigned in November 2011, after coming under fire for mishandling the Italian economy.
CAH/HSN
Copyright: Press TV