ITALIAN PRIME minister Silvio Berlusconi last night faced further difficulties following fresh revelations in parliament concerning the latest sex scandal to involve him.
Milan investigating magistrates, who on Friday revealed Mr Berlusconi (74) is under investigation in relation to charges of “exploitation of underage prostitution” and of “abuse of public office”, yesterday presented the lower house of parliament with a 389-page dossier on their investigation.
The dossier was forwarded to parliament’s immunity commission to justify a request to search the offices of Giuseppe Spinelli, one of Mr Berlusconi’s Milan-based associates.
Mr Spinelli originally refused to allow the search, claiming the offices were protected by parliamentary immunity.
The dossier details charges levelled at Mr Berlusconi, stating: “A relevant number of young women prostituted themselves with Silvio Berlusconi in his private residences and were paid money by him in return . . .” Dossier details were promptly leaked by deputies with access to the documents.
Many Italian media sources yesterday contained extracts from a phone-tapped conversation between “TM” and “BV” – two young women who attended parties last year at Mr Berlusconi’s private residence in Arcore, near Milan: “Either you are willing to do anything or you can get in a taxi and go home,” says one of the young women, adding: “It’s unbelievable. You have no idea. Everybody calls him ‘My love’ and ‘My little treasure’. You cannot even imagine what goes on there . . .”
Parties held by Mr Berlusconi at Villa San Martino, Arcore, are at the centre of the Milan inquiry. The charge of “underage prostitution” relates to (then) 17-year-old Moroccan Karima “Ruby” El Mahroug, who is believed to have spent at least three days at Villa San Martino last April.
Prosecutors allege that last May Mr Berlusconi pressurised Milan police to release Ms Mahroug, who was being held at the time on theft charges. The prime minister allegedly told police she was a relative of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, urging she should “not be detained” for fear of a serious diplomatic incident with Egypt.
Media sources last night highlighted phone conversations in which “Ruby” claims to have blackmailed the prime minister for €5 million in return for her silence. She claims to have known the prime minister since she was aged 16, telling another friend that, when questioned by prosecutors, she had “denied everything”.
On Sunday night Mr Berlusconi counterattacked, making a televised address from Arcore in which he angrily denied any improper behaviour and bitterly accusing magistrates of persecuting him. As proof of his innocence, he claimed he has a “stable” relationship with an unnamed mystery woman who was present for many of the Arcore parties.
Yesterday’s revelations seem certain to cause more problems for the prime minister’s shaky centre-right coalition. Allies and opponents alike are certain to be concerned at reports in the dossier indicating that security around the prime minister on the nights of his parties was extremely lax.