Italy’s Supreme Court Clears Sophia Loren of Old Tax Evasion Charges

Italian actress Sophia Loren has been cleared by Italy’s high court of tax evasion charges dating back to her 1974 tax return.

The charges stem from Loren’s appearance in Vittorio De Sica’s movie “The Voyage,” for which her compensation was deferred, according to the Hollywood Reporter. As a result, her income that year put her in the 60 percent tax bracket, rather than the 70 percent bracket. Italian tax authorities at the time, however, said the actress should have been in the 70 percent bracket.

Loren appealed the ruling and kept away from her native country for a number of years. She came back in 1982 to serve 17 days of her 30-day sentence in a low-security Italian prison. Meanwhile, her appeal ground on for the past 39 years and Italy’s Supreme Court ruled last week that she never should have been imprisoned on the charges.

Loren reportedly called the court’s ruling a “miracle of justice,” noting that when “it seems there is no longer any hope, it is still possible justice will be done.”