ECHR rejects second Berlusconi petition

(see related) (ANSA) - Strasbourg, April 16 - The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on Wednesday rejected a second petition that would have obliged Italy to apply urgent measures to enable ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi to stand in next month's European elections.
    The three-time premier and media mogul has been banned from office since last year, as a result of Italy's supreme Cassation Court finding him guilty of tax fraud at his Mediaset empire to the tune of 370 million euros. His four-year sentence was commuted to three due to an amnesty, and a court ruled Tuesday that he must spend the remaining year performing community service at a senior center outside his native Milan. Lawyer and ex-Spanish foreign minister Ana Palacio submitted the ECHR motion on behalf of MPs from Berlusconi's center-right Forza Italia party and 3,900 citizens, who said banning their leader from running violates their right to free elections under the European human rights convention.