Ex-Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi Hospitalized With Heart Probems

Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was rushed to the San Raffaele hospital in Milan due to heart problems on Tuesday. A spokeswoman for his Forza Italia party reportedly said his condition was not life threatening and that there was “nothing to worry about.”

The hospital said Berlusconi suffered from a “cardiac deficiency” and that he would undergo tests in the next few days to determine the right therapy.

The 79-year-old media mogul is one of the richest men in Italy, with an estimated fortune of $6.2 billion. His legal battles have made headlines for years, with Berlusconi himself estimating in 2009 that he made 2,500 court appearances in 106 trials in 20 years with legal costs mounting up to 200 million euros (about $227 million).

From sex scandals to allegations of corruption, the four-time prime minister dodged all bullets until 2013 when he was convicted of tax fraud by Italy’s highest court. Keeping his age in mind, the court reduced his sentence to house arrest and community service. He is currently serving his sentence. In the same year, he was found guilty of paying for sex with an underage prostitute and abuse of power. He is appealing that conviction.

Berlusconi founded the Forza Italia party in 1993 and became prime minister the following year. He holds the distinction of heading the longest-serving Italian government since World War 2.

The center-right leader once collapsed at a party rally after his election defeat in 2009 and was later fitted with a pacemaker in a U.S. hospital.