An Italian prosecutor is seeking a one-year jail sentence for former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi for allegedly revealing confidential information about an investigation into a 2005 financial scandal to a newspaper owned by his family, Reuters reported.

The case relates to a judicial inquiry into an attempt by insurer Unipol to take over bank BNL, now owned by BNP Paribas.

Prosecutors allege that Berlusconi obtained and passed on to newspaper Il Giornale, owned by his brother Paolo, details of a wire-tapped phone conversation about the deal between former centre-left leader Piero Fassino and the former head of Unipol.

Berlusconi has announced he will run as a candidate for prime minister in next year's election, expected in February.