Milan Court Rehabilitates Berlusconi

A court in Italy ruled on Saturday to lift a ban on former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi holding public office after he was sentenced in 2013 to a four-year prison term for tax fraud. The Milan court had overturned a previous decision by Italy’s supreme court banning the 81-year old politician from running for office for six years, Sputnik reported. The ex-prime minister submitted a relevant appeal to the court last March, noting that Berlusconi reportedly planned to overturn the ban in the European Court of Human Rights. Italy has been without a government since an inconclusive election in March, as neither a party nor an alliance secured an absolute majority in the parliament. The populist Five Star Movement and the right-wing League have been struggling to form a coalition government, prompting President Sergio Mattarella to give them until Sunday to resolve their differences after warning there could be a snap election. In his turn, Berlusconi, who leads right-wing Forza Italia party, said earlier he would form a “constructive opposition” to a possible Five Star-League coalition.