Lawyers for the two men have said they will appeal against the decision at the court of cassation in a final effort to have the sentences reduced.

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The Egyptian Court system is composed of a number of tiers: Courts of First Instance, Court of Appeal, and the Court of Cassation at the apex of the judiciary.

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The 76-year-old already faces a four-year prison sentence and five-year ban from public office for a fraud conviction, which he is expected to appeal against in Italy's highest court, the Court of Cassation.

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The Court of Cassation also ruled that five senior Italian secret service agents - including the former head of the country's military intelligence agency - should be tried for their role in the kidnapping.

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Both it and his appeal against a tax fraud conviction have been delayed until after the Court of Cassation in Rome decides on whether to allow them to be transferred from the northern city of Brescia to Milan.

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Both men successfully appealed against their convictions at Egypt's Court of Cassation, which cited procedural failings in the original trial.

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Italy's Court of Cassation ruled that an appeals court in Florence must re-hear the case against the American student and her former Italian boyfriend for the murder of 21-year-old Meredith Kercher.

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