Earlier in the week, Berlusconi had announced he wouldn't run for a fourth term, leaving his center right party under pressure to find another charismatic figure before next spring's election.
Berlusconi wasn't in the courtroom. In a statement, his lawyers denounced the verdict as "absolutely incredible," and said they would appeal.
Berlusconi's designated political heir as the head of the center-right party he leads, Angelino Alfano, blasted the verdict as "incomprehensible" and said he is confident an appeals court would throw out the conviction.
In this and other cases against him, Berlusconi has described himself as the innocent victim of prosecutors he contends sympathize with the left.
