Berlusconi sentenced to four years in prison for tax evasionOctober 26, 2012 - 20:54 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Silvio Berlusconi, the former Italian prime minister, was sentenced to four years in prison for tax evasion, only for his sentence to be reduced swiftly to one year, The Daily Telegraph reported. The court in Milan said the reduction was a result of a 2006 amnesty law, passed by a rival Left-wing government, aimed at reducing prison overcrowding. Its decision to cut his sentence by 75 per cent was a reminder of how Mr Berlusconi, despite numerous marathon legal battles and four previous guilty verdicts, has never been to prison. Berlusconi's lawyers appealed minutes after the pronouncement of the first conviction, which included a three-year ban on holding public office. Given the shorter sentence and their client's record of running down the legal clock and winning appeals, the colorful 76-year-old politician and tycoon is unlikely to spend time behind bars in the near future, if at all. The statute of limitations in the case is set to expire sometime next year. Defense lawyers Piero Longo and Niccolo Ghedini denounced the guilty verdict as "incredible". "It is to be hoped that in the appeals court there will be a different atmosphere," they said, describing the decision by the Milan court as "totally divorced from all judicial logic". The sentence was heavier than the three years and eight months requested by prosecutors, and was the longest of the four Berlusconi has received so far in a career marked by marathon legal battles. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Putin congratulates Pashinyan’s birthday Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on his birthday on June 1. Opposition motorcade en route to Gyumri for large rally A motorcade of protesters headed by Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan is heading to the city of Gyumri. Ruling MPs, Foreign Minister talk Armenia-Azerbaijan processes MOs from the ruling Civil Contract party met with the Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan in the Armenian parliament. Russia: Armenia’s frozen membership weakens CSTO position in Caucasus A Russian envoy said any step that could alienate the CSTO member states from each other is “deeply wrong”. |