Judicial sources say Silvio Berlusconi has asked to serve his one-year sentence for tax fraud helping disabled people.<br /><br />A court in Milan has until next Tuesday to decide how the time should be spent following his conviction last year.<br /><br />Prison is thought unlikely because of the former prime minister’s age – he is 77. House arrest or community service are far more probable.<br /><br />Berlusconi’s lawyers suggested to the court that their client could “motivate” disabled people at a new home to be opened outside Milan.<br /><br />Earlier, sources said a government agency had asked the court to order Berlusconi to work once a week in a care home for the elderly and disabled.<br /><br />The ruling will be crucial in determining what role he can play in public life. Following the conviction he was banned from public office for two years.<br /><br />Berlusconi has faced several court cases. He has also been found guilty of paying for sex with an underage prostitute and abusing his power. <br /><br />The sentence for tax fraud was his first definitive conviction. The politician continues to protest his innocence in the case.<br /><br />Since the verdict last year Berlusconi has seen several Forza Italia politicians split from the party he still leads, to back the coalition government.<br /><br />His party may appeal to the European Court for Human Rights over the ban from public office. On Wednesday two MPs took the case to Strasbourg.
