Silvio Berlusconi, Social Worker

As often happens in Italy, a daunting punishment has been whittled down to a mild reproof. Mr Berlusconi’s four-year sentence was cut to one year because of an amnesty law from a centre-left government in 2006. He could not be jailed thanks to another law passed by one of his governments that bans the imprisonment of most over-70s. Since the court had ruled out house arrest, there is nothing to stop him leading his Forza Italia! party into next month’s European elections. The message that Mr Berlusconi was not just any criminal, but the leader of Italy’s main conservative party, was neatly conveyed to the judges when he spent some hours with the prime minister, Matteo Renzi, discussing a constitutional reform that requires his party’s parliamentary support.