Berlusconi loses ban vote
The political career of former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi appears to be over. The 76-year-old lost the vote in the Senate that would have overturned his ban from parliament for his tax fraud conviction.
Berlusconi vows to stay in politics even if banned
Silvio Berlusconi has vowed to stay at the heart of Italian politics even if he is expelled from government over a fraud conviction.
In a long-awaited television address ahead of Senate announcement on his future in Italy's parliament, the former prime minister said:
"I will always be with you, at your side, expelled from parliament or not. It is not the parliamentary seat that makes a leader."
The 76-year-old billionaire insisted he was "absolutely innocent" of tax fraud, before accusing judges of plotting against him to pervert democracy.
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