Berlusconi to sign community-service papers Wednesday

P(ANSA) – Milan, April 23 – Silvio Berlusconi is set to sign the papers to serve the remaining year of his four-year tax fraud conviction by doing community service at a Milan judicial office later on Wednesday.BRLast week a court agreed to accept the ex-premier’s request to serve the conviction by doing community service, rather than under house arrest, and ordered him to work one day a week for at least four hours at a facility for the elderly.BRThe 77-year-old billionaire is expected to do his first shift at a centre run by the Sacra Famiglia Catholic foundation at Cesano Boscone, near his native Milan, next Monday.BRWhile saying the conviction is a miscarriage of justice, Berlusconi has said he is happy to do the community service and will “try to be useful”.BRThe court order allows Berlusconi to leave the Lombardy region around Milan and go to Rome between Tuesday and Thursday, meaning he is free to continue his political activities as the head of the opposition centre-right Forza Italia (FI) party.BRAt the offices of the Milan justice office in charge of non-jail punishments, Berlusconi will sign documents outlining 12 rules that he will have to stick by to be able to do community service rather than be kept under house arrest.BRThese include a ban on him “defaming” judges.BRHe is expected at the office at around 18:00.BRThe charismatic media magnate is too old to go to jail under standard Italian legal practice.BRThe rest of the four-year sentence for fraud at his media empire was covered by amnesties.BRBerlusconi has frequently launched scathing attacks on magistrates in the past and said the tax-fraud ruling, which led to him being ejected from the Senate in November, is part of a two-decade campaign by allegedly left-wing elements in the judiciary to erase him from Italy’s public life.BRIn two separate cases, Berlusconi is also appealing a conviction for paying for sex with an underage prostitute and abuse of office that carried a life-time office ban; and is on trial for allegedly bribing a centre-left Senator to switch sides.BR/P
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