Italy, Corrupt Politicians | featured news

An Italian court on Thursday sentenced former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi to a one-year jail term for making public the taped contents of a confidential phone call in a case related to a 2005 banking scandal.

The housing commissioner of Milan's regional government was arrested Wednesday on accusations he paid €200,000 ($260,000) to mobsters in exchange for an election victory — the latest in a series of scandals involving Italian public officials accused of abusing their power or profiting from their jobs.

Silvio Berlusconi's corruption trial ended Saturday with a court ruling that the statute of limitations had run out, handing the former premier another victory in a long string of judicial challenges.