MILAN, Italy (AP) — Former Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi was convicted yesterday over the illegal publication in a newspaper owned by his media empire of wiretapped conversations related to a bank takeover attempt.

A Milan court found Berlusconi guilty of breach of confidentiality and sentenced him to one year in jail, though it did not issue an order on carrying out the sentence. In Italy, it is rare for anyone to be put behind bars pending a possible appeal except in the case of very serious crimes like murder.

The verdict, the first of three expected for Berlusconi in the coming weeks, comes at a moment of political uncertainty for the country after February national elections failed to elect a clear winner. Berlusconi’s centre-right coalition finished second.

The conviction, however, has no bearing on Berlusconi’s eligibility to participate in discussions on forming a new government, which are expected to begin March 20. Lawmakers have failed, despite several attempts, to pass a law banning candidates from Parliament after any criminal conviction.

While Berlusconi’s party won’t be tapped to form a new government, a task that is expected to fall to Pier Luigi Bersani on the centre-left, President Giorgio Napolitano will be looking to secure as broad agreement as possible for legislative priorities.

Napolitano’s role as president is to preside over coalition talks by convening the parliamentary groups for private meetings in which he seeks to gain consensus for a new government — a particularly difficult task given the three-way gridlock resulting from last month’s vote.

The third player with influence on the discussions is comic-turned-civic leader Beppe Grillo, who has said his movement — which gained 25 per cent of the vote — won’t formally support any government with a vote of confidence, which must be secured by Italy’s constitution. It remains to be seen how this conflict can be resolved.

Berlusconi, in a statement, accused the courts of judicial persecution “that continues for 20 years and is revived every time there are particularly complex moments in the political life of the country”.

He said he expects convictions in his pending Milan trials: an appeal to his October conviction on a tax fraud charge and the sensational sex-for-hire trial that accuses him of having paid for sex with an under-age teen and using his influence to cover it up.