Silvio Berlusconi gestures as he takes part at a People of Freedom meeting in Rome on September 9, 2009. In November last year, the Italian Senate voted to expel Italy's three-time former prime minister from parliament after his conviction for tax fraud. 
Former President George W. Bush and Berlusconi share a moment during a South Lawn arrival ceremony at the White House on October 13, 2008. 
The late Moammar Gadhafi attends a meeting with Berlusconi in Rome on June 10, 2009. 
President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama welcome Berlusconi to the G20 dinner in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on September 24, 2009. 
Berlusconi waves to journalists as he leaves San Raffaele hospital in Milan on December 17, 2009. Berlusconi suffered severe facial wounds in a violent attack. 
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Berlusconi attend a press conference in Lesmo, Italy, on April 26, 2010. 
Berlusconi listens during a debate at the Senate on December 13, 2010, in Rome, Italy. 
Berlusconi reacts during the presentation of politician Antonio Razzi's book "Le mie mani pulite" (My clean hands) at the Italian parliament in Rome on February 1, 2012. 
An official visit to Villa Madama on January 18, 2011. 
Berlusconi arrives at the Chancellery to meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on January 12, 2011 in Berlin, Germany. 
Berlusconi passes by Carabinieri guards prior a meeting with Russia's President at Villa Madama palace in Rome on February 16, 2011. 
AC Milan players and AC Milan chairman Berlusconi celebrate after winning the Luigi Berlusconi Trophy at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on August 21, 2011, in Milan, Italy. 
Berlusconi closes his eyes as he listens to a man speak in his ear at the dedication of the George W. Bush Presidential Library in Dallas on April 25. 
Berlusconi rubs his eyes after delivering a speech at the Senate in Rome on October 2. 
- Italian court rules Berlusconi must carry out one year of community service
- The former premier must spend at least four hours per week at a nursing home in Milan
- The billionaire tycoon was convicted of charges relating to tax fraud
- Berlusconi has dominated Italian political scene for two decades
(CNN) -- Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is to serve one year of community service at a nursing home for his conviction on tax fraud, a Milan court ruled on Tuesday.
The 77-year old billionaire tycoon must visit a center for the elderly near his hometown, Milan, at least once a week for a minimum four hours.
He will start the sentence "in coming days," a member of his legal team told CNN.
The center-right politician was convicted of charges related to a vast tax fraud conspiracy at his Mediaset television empire.
He will be working in a home run by the Sacred Family Foundation, Fondazione Sacra Famiglia, in Cesano Boscone outside Milan. Founded in 1896 by a Catholic priest, the foundation says it offers help and rehabilitation services to people "with psychophysical disabilities and the non self-sufficient elderly."
In a statement on his Forza Italia party website, Berlusconi's lawyers Franco Coppi and Niccolo Ghedini welcomed the ruling as "balanced and satisfactory."
Travel restrictions
The lawyers said the former premier was also subject to limitations on his movements.
This means he will not -- except with specific authorization -- be able to leave the northern Lombardy region, where he has his principal home, but is allowed to go to Rome from Tuesday to Thursday. He has to be back in Lombardy by 11 p.m. Thursday.
Berlusconi, who served on and off as prime minister between 1994 and 2011, has dominated the lively Italian political scene for the past two decades.
He was handed a four-year sentence -- commuted to a year -- for tax fraud at Mediaset last August. He has also been barred from holding public office for two years and was expelled from the Italian Senate in the autumn.
It was not immediately clear from the court ruling whether Berlusconi would be able to campaign for his Forza Italia party ahead of European Parliament elections next month.
As Forza Italia leader, he retains influence over the Italian political scene. In a sign of Berlusconi's continuing relevance, Prime Minister Matteo Renzi received him for dinner Monday night at Palazzo Chigi, the prime minister's official residence in Rome.
Berlusconi continues to protest his innocence and says he has been persecuted by leftist magistrates.
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