Italy court bans Berlusconi from public office for two years

Italian center-right leader Silvio Berlusconi (R) looks on at the Senate in Rome, October 2, 2013. REUTERS/Tony Gentile

MILAN (Reuters) - A Milan court ruled on Saturday that former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi should be barred from holding public office for two years following a conviction for tax fraud.

However, since Berlusconi is a senator, the court's decision will have no immediate effect and his expulsion from the Senate will depend on a separate vote in the upper house of parliament, expected to take place next month.