Rome ( CNN ) -- Silvio Berlusconi 's long strange trip through Italian politics -- and the nation 's justice system -- reached another stop Thursday as a Milan court sentenced the former prime minister to a year in prison for publishing secretly recorded details of a political rival 's telephone conversations . The conviction comes less than two weeks after Berlusconi came in a seemingly improbable second among voters as he tried to win back his old job . Whether Berlusconi , 76 , will ever set foot in prison is questionable . Berlusconi has been charged and convicted before but has never served time . Previous charges have either been overturned on appeal or dismissed because the statute of limitations had expired . Berlusconi 's lawyer , Piero Longo , said he will appeal . `` We are not surprised by the verdict because of the judiciary bias against our client , which is proven here by the lack of evidence against him in this case , '' Longo told CNN . The cult of Silvio Berlusconi : Why Italians keep voting for him . The former prime minister is currently appealing his conviction last year on tax fraud charges relating to the sale of film rights by his media company , Mediaset . He is also on trial over allegations he paid for sex with an underage prostitute . A decision in that case is could come as early as March 18 . Details of the case . The case involves publication of details from a 2005 conversation between Piero Fassino -- a political rival of Berlusconi 's -- and the former chairman of an insurance group that at the time was close to taking over a large Italian bank . The takeover could have created a rival to Berlusconi 's Finnivest conglomerate . The transcript -- published in a newspaper run by Berlusconi 's brother , Paolo -- appeared to show Fassino , as head of the center-left opposition , had used his political position to help the insurance group take over Banco Nazionale del Lavoro . The ensuing scandal , which caused the deal to collapse , was widely viewed as an effort to discredit Fassino . The conversation was recorded by Italian financial crimes investigators , according to prosecutors , who argued Berlusconi bribed someone to obtain the recordings , then broke the law by publishing parts of them . Berlusconi has denied listening to the recordings or ordering their publication . Fassino issued a statement lauding the court 's decision . `` This is a ruling that restores truth and justice and confirms the judicial system , despite conscious criticism and mocking of the system for years , in a political campaign to vilify and delegitimize it , '' he said . Jail time , fine . According to court documents , Berlusconi was sentenced to one year in prison . Paolo Berlusconi received two years and three months . Silvio Berlusconi was also ordered to pay â‚¬80,000 ( about $ 104,000 ) plus legal costs to Fassino , whose attorneys had been seeking â‚¬1 million ( about $ 1.3 million ) in damages . His lawyers will appeal to increase the award , they said in a statement following the verdict . History of scandal . Berlusconi -- who served on and off as prime minister between 1994 and 2011 -- is arguably one of the most colorful and controversial figures in the lively history of Italian politics . For years , he has been entangled in fraud , corruption and sex scandals that have often reached Italian courts . Berlusconi 's first conviction came in 1997 , four years after he was first elected prime minister and a year after he was removed after losing the support of other parties . The sentence in that conviction was suspended . A year later , in 1998 , a court convicted him of corruption and bribery , but those verdicts were overturned in 1999 and 2000 . In 2007 , prosecutors accused him of judicial corruption over accusations he paid a lawyer $ 600,000 in exchange for favorable testimony in two court case . He was also accused of tax fraud and receipt of stolen goods involving the same lawyer . A judge dismissed some tax fraud allegations and the stolen goods case in 1998 ; the corruption case ended in 2012 when a judge ruled the statute of limitations had run out . He was convicted in 2012 on allegations that he had engaged in tax fraud involving Mediaset . Prosecutors accused Berlusconi of reducing Mediaset 's tax liabilities by purchasing U.S. movie rights at inflated prices and then creating illegal slush funds . He is currently appealing that conviction . Sex scandals have also ensnared Berlusconi , whose wife filed for divorce in 2009 following reports of the then-prime minister 's involvement with an 18-year-old girl . Two years later , magistrates in Milan said they were investigating whether Berlusconi paid for sex with an underage prostitute named Ruby the Heartbreaker , then used his power to spring her from jail in an unrelated incident in which she was picked up for theft . Berlusconi 's trial on those charges began in 2011 , shortly before he resigned from office . Berlusconi has a vast business empire , including media holdings and construction companies . Forbes Magazine says he has a net worth of $ 6.2 billion . Journalist Barbie Nadeau reported from Rome , Michael Pearson reported and wrote from Atlanta . CNN 's Peter Wilkinson , Paul Armstrong contributed to this report .
Italy : Silvio Berlusconi will appeal the verdict . NEW : His lawyer says the case shows judicial bias against him . The former prime minister was convicted of publishing a journalist 's wiretapped conversation . Paolo 's brother also was sentenced to death .