Former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has denounced the Supreme Court's decision to uphold his tax fraud conviction and jail sentence as 'baseless', which has deprived him of his freedom and political rights.
The court had also ordered a further judicial review on whether he should be banned from holding public office.
According to the BBC, in an emotional video statement, Berlusconi denounced the decision as 'based on nothing'.
The sentence cannot be appealed against further but Berlusconi, 76, is unlikely to go to jail because of his age.
Berlusconi is likely to serve house arrest or carry out community service. His lawyers also described Thursday's ruling as 'unjust'.
According to the report, he described the more than 50 court cases he has faced as genuine judicial harassment that is unmatched in the civilised world.