(see related)
The European Court of Human
Rights (ECHR) on Wednesday rejected a second petition that would
have obliged Italy to apply urgent measures to enable ex-premier
Silvio Berlusconi to stand in next month's European elections.
The three-time premier and media mogul has been banned from
office since last year, as a result of Italy's supreme Cassation
Court finding him guilty of tax fraud at his Mediaset empire to
the tune of 370 million euros.
His four-year sentence was commuted to three due to an
amnesty, and a court ruled Tuesday that he must spend the
remaining year performing community service at a senior center
outside his native Milan.
Lawyer and ex-Spanish foreign minister Ana Palacio
submitted the ECHR motion on behalf of MPs from Berlusconi's
center-right Forza Italia party and 3,900 citizens, who said
banning their leader from running violates their right to free
elections under the European human rights convention.
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