Silvio Berlusconi: Sex charge trial to begin in April

[jannyk]

Source: BBC Breaking News


Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi has been indicted to stand trial on charges of paying for sex with an underage girl and abuse of power.

Ms Mahroug, widely known as Ruby and now aged 18, has denied sleeping with the prime minister but has said she received 7,000 euros (£5,900, $9,400) from him as a gift after one of his parties.

The trial will take place at a court in Milan at 0930 on Wednesday 6 April, the judge has announced.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12083491

---

Sleazy F*cker!

[rpannier]

1. Thanks for posting this story.

On a somewhat humorous note. When I first saw the subject line I thought it read, "Silvio Berlusconi: Sex CHANGE trial to begin in April."

[Rhiannon12866]

2. So did I!

:rofl: :fistbump:

[Myrina]

4. Me three ..

:wow:

[truth2power]

3. I see the Italians don't mind prosecuting their sitting govt. officials...

but we can't bring our war criminals to trial, even after they've left office. Guess we need to look forward. Yeah, that makes sense.

[dipsydoodle]

5. Berlusconi insists teenage girls had sex with him for free

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi this morning strenuously denied accusations of teenage prostitution, insisting that all the teenagers he had sex with did so because they fancied him.

Berlusconi has been indicted to stand trial on charges of paying for sex with an under-age girl and abuse of power, charges which he completely denies.

A lawyer for Berlusconi told reporters, “My client would like it known that he never pays for sex. All the teenagers he had copulated with did so because they find his 74 year-old body extremely attractive.”

“There was no abuse of power, they would have had sex with him if he’d been working as a Pizza delivery boy, such is his animal magnetism.”

http://newsthump.com/2011/02/15/berlusconi-insists-teenage-girls-had-sex-with-him-for-free/

[Bragi]

6. I can't imagine why his lawyers would say that

Claiming as a defense that the teens all found "his 74 year-old body extremely attractive" suggests there will be a need for testimony from the tens, and photographic evidence, to back up this defense.

Something tells me that the defense of "animal magnetism" isn't going to go well for him.

[Odin2005]

7. Sick pervert.

I was hearing on MPR about claims that he participated in ORGIES. :puke:

[Kingofalldems]

8. Kick and Rec for Silvio and his pals

[struggle4progress]

9. ... Mr Berlusconi also faces three unrelated embezzlement and fraud cases in the coming weeks ...

The Irish Times - Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Berlusconi's trials
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2011/0216/1224289928381.html

[struggle4progress]

10. ... The federalist Northern League, for long Berlusconi’s most loyal coalition partner, had nothing

to say yesterday about the news that the prime minister is to stand trial, charged with exploitation of underage prostitution and abuse of office ...
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2011/0216/1224289928623.html

... The 74-year-old Prime Minister, who has denied all the allegations, stands accused of paying for sex with a Moroccan nightclub dancer named Karima El Mahroug when she was 17. Prosecutors also allege that Berlusconi abused the powers of his office when he called a police station after El Mahroug had been arrested on suspicions of theft, told officers she was the granddaughter of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, and urged that she be released ...
Berlusconi Faces Trial and the Wrath of Italy's Women
By Stephan Faris / Rome Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2011
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2049515,00.html

[struggle4progress]

12. ... The timing of the court proceedings could not have come at a worse time for the Italian PM

after he barely survived a no-confidence motion in the Parliament and has been fighting a split in his own right-wing coalition ...
Berlusconi to stand trial over sex with teen
Paola Totaro
February 16, 2011
http://www.theage.com.au/world/berlusconi-to-stand-trial-over-sex-with-teen-20110215-1av9y.html

[struggle4progress]

13. ... The child prostitution charge carries a possible prison term of six months to three years.

However, the abuse of influence charge is even more dangerous: It carries a sentence of four to 12 years, and if Berlusconi is sentenced to more than five, he would be barred from ever again holding public office ...
Italy's Berlusconi indicted in prostitution probe
By COLLEEN BARRY and ALESSANDRA RIZZO Associated Press © 2011 The Associated Press
Feb. 15, 2011, 3:48PM
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/top/all/7428596.html

[struggle4progress]

11. ... In May 2009, Berlusconi was accused of frequenting another 17-year old, Noemi Letizia,

who called him "papi", provoking his wife to file for divorce ...
Berlusconi to stand trial for underage sex
Ella Ide
February 16, 2011 - 12:49PM
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/berlusconi-to-stand-trial-for-underage-sex-20110216-1avzm.html

[struggle4progress]

14. ... Berlusconi scrapped a press conference and flew back from a visit to Sicily to spend

three hours closeted in his Rome residence with two of his closest advisers: his lawyer, Niccolò Ghedini, and a junior minister, Gianni Letta. He maintained a deafening silence ...
Silvio Berlusconi sent for trial accused of paying for sex with teenager
• Italian prime minister also accused of abuse of power
• All-women panel of judges to hear case, likely to start in April
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 15 February 2011 21.27 GMT
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/15/silvio-berlusconi-trial-teenage-sex