Former Berlusconi aide Denis
Verdini was sentenced Thursday to nine years in jail for his
part in the bankruptcy of the Credito Cooperativo Fiorentino
(CCF) bank.
The sentence also carried a life ban from holding public
office.
Verdini's lawyers said he would appeal.
"We are ready to fight," they said.
Prosecutors had asked 11 years for Verdini, who now leads an
independent centre-right group, ALA, which backs the Democratic
Party-led centre-left-centre-right government.
ALA said the verdict was "the umpteenth political sentence
seen in recent years".
The premier's office was awarded a provisional 2.5 million
euros in damages in the case.
Verdini has also been named, but is not under investigation,
in a new probe into graft at the civil service procurement
agency CONSIP.
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