Former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi was found guilty on Wednesday of bribing a senator to switch factions in a move that helped topple the government in 2008.

The court in southern Italy sentenced Berlusconi to three years in jail and banned him from holding any public office for five years, a judge said in a ruling shown live on television.

The four-time prime minister denied the charges. However, he will not have to serve his sentence because a statute of limitations kicks in later this year before any appeal can be held, preventing the courts from pursuing the case further.