BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) _ Former Bridgeport Mayor Joseph Ganim is a step closer to getting his law license back.

The Connecticut Law Tribune reports that a key judicial committee has found Ganim, who served seven years in prison for corruption while in office, is fit to practice law.

The report was released Tuesday by the Standing Committee on Recommendations for Admission to the Bar in Fairfield County.

Ganim lost his law license after being convicted in 2003 of 16 federal counts for steering city contracts in exchange for hundreds of thousands of dollars in expensive wine, custom clothes, cash and home improvements.

The final decision on reinstatement will be made by a three-judge panel.

Ganim is currently assisting lawyers at his family’s law firm in Bridgeport.

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