ECHR dismisses Berlusconi's complaint over tax conviction — ANSA English

The European Court of Human Rights dismissed a complaint concerning the fairness of the conviction of former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi in a tax fraud case. The court concluded that a lack of impartiality on the part of the panel of Italy's Court of Cassation that heard the case had not been proven, ANSA English reports.

Complaint against a judge

In 2013, Italy's Court of Cassation upheld Berlusconi's conviction for aiding tax evasion in his media empire for 2002 and 2003. Along with the conviction, additional penalties took effect: Berlusconi lost his seat in the Senate and was barred from holding public office until 2018.

Berlusconi applied to the ECHR, claiming that one of the judges who took part in the hearing had not been impartial. He referred to the judge's interview with the press about the case, as well as allegedly hostile remarks about him reported by third parties.

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ECHR decision

The ECHR ruled that Berlusconi had not proven a lack of impartiality in the composition of the Court of Cassation panel, in particular on the part of the head of the division to which his case had been assigned. The court dismissed Berlusconi's other complaints as manifestly ill-founded or submitted too late.

Following Berlusconi's death in 2023, the proceedings were continued by his heirs. The initial four-year sentence was reduced to one year, which the former prime minister served in the form of community service.