Italian Premier Berlusconi's prostitution trial adjourned until May

[News_Editor]

Italian Premier Berlusconi's prostitution trial adjourned until May

2011-04-06 21:02:52 GMT+7 (ICT)

MILAN, ITALY (BNO NEWS) -- The underage prostitution trial against Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on Wednesday was adjourned until May 31 due to technical issues, the ANSA news agency reported.

The trial opened in Milan on Tuesday by the Premier did not attend proceedings. A member of the Premier's defense presented the court a letter where Berlusconi explained that he was unable to participate due to "institutional commitments."

Berlusconi, 74, is accused of paying Ruby, a Moroccan belly dancer, for sex in September 2009 when she was only 16 years old during one of the Premier's parties at his Milan villa. He is also accused of abuse of power.

On Tuesday, the Italian government won a House vote on asking Italy's Constitutional Court to transfer jurisdiction in the trial to a special court for ministers. The government claimed that Berlusconi must be prosecuted in a ministers' court as he was on duty when he allegedly committed abuse of power.

The PM phoned police in May and told them the woman (Ruby) they had detained over an alleged theft was the granddaughter of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Berlusconi claimed that he made the call to avoid an international conflict as Ruby told him she was Mubarak's relative and 23 years old.

Under Italian law, using a sex worker under the age of 18 carries a jail term of up to three years, while abuse of office carries a term ranging from six to 12 years. If convicted, Berlusconi faces up to 15 years in prison.

Prosecutors said they have evidence that demonstrates the premier paid for sex with 33 alleged prostitutes after so-called 'bunga bunga' sex parties. Furthermore, they claimed that Berlusconi paid Ruby for intercourse 13 times when she was 17 years old.

"I'm almost 75 years old and although I'm naughty, 33 girls in two months seems a bit much even for a 30-year-old,'' Berlusconi told Rome-based daily La Repubblica. ''It's too much for anyone."

The PM's defense called 132 witnesses to testify in his favor. Among the individuals listed are U.S. actor George Clooney, his Italian girlfriend and actress Elisabetta Canalism, football star Cristiano Ronaldo, Argentinian supermodel and actress Belen Rodriguez, TV chat show host Barbara D'Urso, and ex-Milan police chief Vincenzo Indolfi.

Last week, Berlusconi appeared in court for a hearing for one of the four trials he faces. In addition to the prostitution scandal, the Premier faces three more regarding fraud offenses.

In Court, the Premier denied any wrong doing and said the charges against him were 'ridiculous'. Furthermore, he described himself as 'the most indicted man in history and in the universe'.

The Italian leader has blamed the leftist opposition of pushing the charges against him in attempt to oust him. However, he vowed to stay as PM until the end of his term in office in 2013. Opposition parties have demanded the dismissal of Berlusconi due to the fraud and prostitution scandals in repeated occasions.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-04-06

[mark45y]

Man is obviously lying. 33 ladies is not too much in two months. That's probably below average for the average 75 year old Falang in Thailand.

[LaoPo]

Man is obviously lying. 33 ladies is not too much in two months. That's probably below average for the average 75 year old Falang in Thailand.

Berlusconi is not the average 75 year old Farang in Thailand and the average Farang in Thailand is not a Billionaire and Farang Billionaires have better places to go to than LOS, especially Berlusconi...guilty of whatever he did or does........or didn't

There's probably also not any other western democracy where ALL judges and prosecutors would be Female, trying to nail their Prime Minister because of sexual accusations...

Apart from that: Italia is Italia and what's happening there with/by/because of Berlusconi is probably not possible in any other western democracy. There's no way he will ever end up in jail...Italia is Italia...

Viva Italia

LaoPo

[geriatrickid]

If Berlusconi had allegedly sodomized an underage go go boy dancer named Rubio and had naked man Bunga Bunga parties instead of allegedly fornicating with an underage belyl dancer named Ruby and had big breasted naked girl Bunga Bunga parties, the lynch mob would be out.

[angiud]

I am ashamed that Italy is ruled by this gang of criminals and sexual predators

[geriatrickid]

well, would you rather have Thai leaders?

[mark45y]

well, would you rather have Thai leaders?

That's a tough one.

[LaoPo]

I am ashamed that Italy is ruled by this gang of criminals and sexual predators

I understand Angiud, but many Italians are not ashamed; an Italian business friend once explained to me that Italians need someone to look up to, a kind of -soft- dictator and Italy's history shows it had many examples.

The difference In Berlusconi's case is that all the dirt comes floating to surface whilst in many other countries the same things happen/happened, maybe even more extreme but stays/staid behind the velvet curtains. Maybe Thailand is a nice example..who knows?

I have a very large painting* (The Roses of Heliogabalus by Lawrence Alma-Tadema), showing a very young Roman Emperor, Heliogabalus, lying on his belly next to a feast table, together with his mother and other guests, whilst at the same time he orders the ceiling cloths to be taken away, carrying and dropping tons of rose petals dropping on his guests.....who're than sufficating and died...

He loved to do that occasionally; and there are more examples of Roman and Italian leaders, not so democratic and nice...and that's an understatement. Is that a kind of self-castigation that Italians chose leaders like Berlusconi ?

* The Roses of Heliogabalus

LaoPo

Edited April 7, 2011 by LaoPo