Silvio Berlusconi Net Worth | Celebrity Net Worth

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silvio berlusconi net worth

Silvio Berlusconi is a former Prime Minister of Italy, entrepreneur and media tycoon who has a net worth of $8.5 billion dollars. He is one of Italy’s longest serving post-war prime ministers and is widely known for being a frequent criminal defendant and convicted tax evader. In addition, he is the owner of the Italian football club AC Milan and remains Italy’s “oldest playboy”, making headlines at the age of 76.

early life

Born on September 29, 1936 in Milan, Italy, the rise of this Teflon politician is worthy of a Hollywood script. He is the son of Luigi Berlusconi and Rosa Bossi. The first of three children coming from a lower middle-class family, the young and multi-talented Berlusconi studied law in Milan and worked as a singer on cruise ships and nightclubs.

business career

After successfully obtaining a small loan from a local bank, he oversaw the construction of small-scale projects in the city of Milan and later “Milano Two”, 4,000 residential apartments in the east of Milan. Berlusconi first entered the world of media in 1973 by founding a small cable television company called Telemilano. Soon, he started accumulating fortunes through Finvest, which holds a stake in Mediaset, Italy’s largest media company; Mediolanum financial services company that was founded by Italian billionaire Ennio Doris); one of the largest publishing houses in Mondadori, Italy; Medusa, filmmaker and AC Milan, a nearly defunct football club when Berlusconi bought it in 1986. Forbes magazine ranked him the 190th richest person in the world with a net worth of 8 billion.

political career

It was in 1993 that Berlusconi first appeared on the political scene running for prime minister under his newly formed political party Forza Italy (Go Italia). Since, he has served four times as Prime Minister of Italy from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006 and 2008 to 2011. Holding the position of prime minister for a total of nine years, Berlusconi is the third-longest serving since the unification of Italy. , after Benito Mussolini and Giovanni Giolitti. Berlusconi was the leader of the center-right party Forza Italia from 1994–2009, and its successor party, The People of Freedom, from 2009 to 2013. Berlusconi was the senior leader of the G8 from 2009–2011 and holds the record for hosting the G8 summit. Italy hosted three summits. After serving for 19 years as a member of the Chamber of Deputies, Italy’s lower house, during the 2013 general election, he became a member of the Senate. Berlusconi was the first person to hold the office of prime minister without any prior government or administrative office.

In August 2013, Berlusconi was convicted of tax fraud by the court of last instance, the Court of Cassation. He was sentenced to four years in prison, three of which were automatically pardoned. He was banned from public office for two years. At the age of 76, under Italian sentencing guidelines, which do not usually impose imprisonment for those over 70, he was exempted from direct imprisonment and instead served his sentence by performing unpaid social community work.

As he was sentenced to more than two years in prison, an Italian anti-corruption law forced the Senate to expel him and bar him from serving in any public or legislative office for six years. He resolved to remain the leader of Forza Italia during his sentence and his ban of public office. After his ban expired, he ran for and was elected MEP in the 2019 European Parliament election. Often accused of being an authoritarian leader, Berlusconi is known for his populist political style and brutal personality. Berlusconi has been and has been a controversial and sometimes divisive figure among public opinion and political analysts. His supporters point to his charismatic power and leadership skills, as well as to his fiscal policy based on tax cuts. He has sought to maintain strong and close foreign relations with the United States and Russia. Berlusconi has been known to publicly misjudge or make insensitive remarks. Many political commentators and writers attribute his success to the 2016 election of real estate tycoon Donald Trump.

personal life

He married Carla Elvira Dal’Oglio in 1965. They had two children, Maria Elvira and Peter Silbio. Berlusconi had an affair with actress Veronica Lario, with whom he had three children: Barbara, Eleonora, and Luigi. She divorced Dall’Oglio in 1985 and married Lario in 1990. Their wedding was a remarkable social event, as he was a well-known entrepreneur at the time.

In May 2009, Lario announced that she was filing for divorce from Berlusconi. In 2012, he was ordered to pay Lario $48 million a year in a divorce settlement.

Berlusconi has ten grandchildren.

He was hospitalized for heart problems and a stroke in June 2016, just after campaigning for local elections. He had heart surgery to replace a faulty aortic valve. Berlusconi tested positive for COVID-19 in September 2020. He was admitted to the hospital with severe symptoms. After being discharged, he described COVID-19 as the “most dangerous and frightening experience” of his lifetime. He was once again hospitalized in May 2021 due to ongoing COVID-19 chronic symptoms.

controversies

Silvio has been involved in many controversies and has been the subject of more than 20 court cases during his political career.

In November 2010, Karima El Mahrog, a 17-year-old Moroccan belly dancer, claimed that Berlusconi gave $10,000 to parties at her private villa. She told prosecutors in Milan that the events were her Berlusconi orgy and that 20 young women in the nude performed an African-style ritual known as “Banga Bunga”. Berlusconi’s investigation for child prostitution associated with the situation has been called the “ruby gate”. In 2011, he was placed under criminal investigation for allegedly having sex with an underage prostitute. He was found guilty and sentenced to seven years in prison and banned from public office for life, however, he appealed the sentence and his sentence was overturned.

Berlusconi came under criticism for allegedly spending $1.8 million in state funds from RAI Cinemas to advance the career of an unknown Bulgarian actress, Michelle Bonev. The fact that this coincided with serious cuts being made to the country’s arts budget sparked public outcry.