Prosecutors want to jail Berlusconi for 5 years

MILAN - Italian prosecutors have demanded a five-year prison sentence for former Premier Silvio Berlusconi in his trial on corruption charges.

Prosecutor Fabio De Pasquale on Wednesday urged the court to find Berlusconi guilty of having paid a British lawyer $600,000 to lie in other trials involving charges of tax evasion and false accounting related to the billionaire media mogul's business dealings.

The court is racing toward a verdict before the charges expire due to the statute of limitations. De Pasquale calculated that would happen by mid-July.

This is one of several cases pending against Berlusconi in Milan courts, including a trial on charges of having paid for sex with an underage prostitute.

Berlusconi stepped down in November after failing to persuade investors he could revive the ailing economy.