Italy's highest court upheld Thursday a prison sentence given to former PM Silvio Berlusconi for tax fraud.

Rome's Court of Cassation supported a lower court's four-year prison sentence for Berlusconi.

Three years of that sentence are covered in an amnesty aimed at cutting down on prison overcrowding, effectively reducing Berlusconi's sentence to one year, according to reports of CNN.

The sentence is final and cannot be appealed further but Berlusconi, 76, is unlikely to go to jail because of his age.

Italy's former Prime Minister is likely to serve house arrest or carry out community service.

The high court also ordered a lower court to reconsider whether Berlusconi should be banned from public office.

Berlusconi's conviction concerns a tax fraud scheme involving TV rights bought by his company Mediaset at inflated prices.

It is the first definitive conviction for him after decades of criminal proceedings.