Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has reportedly been banned from holding public office for two years by a court, following his conviction for tax fraud.
Although the ban must be approved by the Parliament before taking effect, Berlusconi will reportedly lose his parliamentary immunity from prosecution in a string of criminal cases if he is expelled from the Senate.
According to the BBC, Berlusconi will also have to spend a year under house arrest, or doing community service, which is his preferred option.
The report mentioned that a cross-party panel of the Italian Senate had recommended Berlusconi's expulsion earlier this month, following which Berlusconi threatened to overthrow the coalition government, although he later backed down during a confidence vote.
The former PM was convicted over deals made by his firm to purchase TV rights for US movies, following which he was sentenced to four years in prison, which was automatically reduced to one under a 2006 pardon act, the report added.