A long-time ally of former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi facing the final appeal to his conviction for Mafia association has been detained in Lebanon.

Marcello Dell'Utri is in police custody and Italy is preparing to seek his extradition, Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said.

Dell'Utri was declared a fugitive on Friday and later issued a statement saying he was abroad for medical treatment, but did not say where.

A former executive in Berlusconi's media empire and then senator in his conservative movement, Dell'Utri was convicted of acting as a mediator between Berlusconi and the Mafia. Italy's highest court hears his final appeal this week.

Dell'Utri denies any ties to the Sicilian Mafia, and any link between the crime syndicate and Berlusconi.

Hours after being declared a fugitive, Dell'Utri issued a statement saying he has undergone surgery recently and was under medical care abroad. He added that he had no intention to flee justice.

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