Top court upholds Berlusconi's acquittal

Italy's highest court confirmed on Tuesday the acquittal of former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, who had been charged with abuse of office and paying for sex with a minor. The ruling boosts his effort to retain his role as conservative leader.

At the first trial in 2013, Berlusconi, 78, was convicted and sentenced to seven years in prison. An appeals court in Milan overturned the ruling and acquitted him last year.

The Rome court, in a definitive ruling, rejected an appeal by Milan prosecutors to overturn the acquittal and hold a new trial.