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SCANDALOUS former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi had his conviction for paying for sex with an underage sex worker quashed today.
It had carried a seven-year prison sentence and a lifetime ban on holding political office.
The court has 90 days to publish the reasons for its decision, but Mr Berlusconi’s lawyer Franco Coppi suggested that the acquittal could be due to his stated belief that the woman was over 18.
The case may not end there, however, since prosecutors can challenge yesterday’s acquittal in Italy’s highest criminal court, the Court of Cassation.
He is currently carrying out community service in respect of a separate conviction for tax fraud.
Mr Berlusconi is also on trial in Naples over political corruption allegations.
The conservative former PM is under investigation in Milan accused of witness-tampering in the sex-for-cash trial and in another related case involving three aides who were convicted of procuring prostitutes for his parties.
