Milan appeals court hands ex-Premier Silvio Berlusconi 2-year political ban in tax fraud case

MILAN – A Milan appeals court has set Italian ex-Premier Silvio Berlusconi’s political ban in his tax fraud conviction at two years.

The court was ordered by Italy’s highest court to determine the length of the political ban accompanying his tax fraud conviction and four-year jail term after prosecutors conceded errors in the original five-year ban.

Berlusconi already is facing the loss of his Senate seat after losing his final appeal in the tax fraud conviction this summer under a 2012 law stipulating that anyone convicted to more than two years in prison cannot hold or run for office for six years.

The political bans face parliamentary approval. A Senate committee has approved yanking his seat based on the 2012 law, but a vote by the whole chamber is pending.