Italy court upholds prison term for Berlusconi

ROME: Italy’s top court on Thursday confirmed a prison sentence for former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi in the first ever definitive conviction in a tumultuous career for the billionaire tycoon.
The Court of Cassation confirmed a four-year jail sentence — commuted to one year under an amnesty — imposed by a lower court. But it ordered a further judicial review of a ban on holding public office imposed for the same offense.
The long awaited ruling is likely place the fragile left-right coalition led by Prime Minister Enrico Letta under severe strain although Berlusconi has pledged that his center-right party will maintain its support for the government.