Italian judges are due to consider how Silvio Berlusconi should serve his one-year sentence following his conviction for tax fraud. April 9, Reuters reported that a government agency has asked the court to order him to work in a care home for the elderly and disabled.
According to the well-informed source in the Italian court, Berlusconi is supposed to do social work in a nursing home just once a week. He will stay under house arrest for the rest of the sentence. Besides, the punishment term might be cut to 9 months provided that he behaves well.
Previously, Silvio Berlusconi was given a 4-year jail sentence for tax avoidance at his own mass-media company Mediaset. In August, 2013, the court of appeal affirmed the verdict. However, it has not taken legal effect yet.
On the whole, a long-term imprisonment has been always considered unlikely because of the media mogul’s age (77 years old) and the non-violent nature of his crime. Moreover, Berlusconi is included in the amnesty. So, the sentence has to be commuted to one year. In addition, the prison term has to be replaced by social work. The court will pass a final verdict on Thursday.