Berlusconi denies sex with Moroccan teen in court
Source: Agencies |
October 20, 2012, Saturday
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ITALY'S Silvio Berlusconi made a rare court appearance yesterday to deny some of the more salacious accusations at the center of a sex scandal that has muddied his reputation.
The former premier said he never had sex with an underage Moroccan teen, never paid for sex with any guest at his villa near Milan and denied that so-called "bunga-bunga" parties that he held were in any way sexual.
"The expression 'bunga-bunga' comes from a joke that I have repeated many times, and that has been picked up viciously by the media," Berlusconi said during an appearance at his trial on charges of having paid for sex with Moroccan teen Karima el-Mahroug and trying to cover it up.
Berlusconi's declaration was spontaneous, a practice that Italy allows defendants and which does not have the weight of testimony. His lawyers have said that he does not intend to testify.
Berlusconi said yesterday that his long history of legal battles, mostly for his business dealings, also discouraged him from taking the stand.
The case is the first involving the three-time former premier's personal behavior. Berlusconi stepped down as premier last November after failing to persuade financial markets he could come up with convincing reforms to protect debt-laden Italy from the sovereign debt crisis.
While he is still head of his conservative political movement, Berlusconi, 76, has been coy about whether he intends to run for office next spring when Premier Mario Monti's mandate expires.
Berlusconi has repeatedly denied the charges in the sex scandal.
In court, Berlusconi said he "never had intimate relations of any kind" with el-Mahroug, better known as Ruby.
He also said he believed she was 24 years old based on her own statements and that she was the niece of then-Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. In fact, she was 17 and no relation to Mubarak, who was forced to step down and is in a prison in Cairo.
The former premier said he never had sex with an underage Moroccan teen, never paid for sex with any guest at his villa near Milan and denied that so-called "bunga-bunga" parties that he held were in any way sexual.
"The expression 'bunga-bunga' comes from a joke that I have repeated many times, and that has been picked up viciously by the media," Berlusconi said during an appearance at his trial on charges of having paid for sex with Moroccan teen Karima el-Mahroug and trying to cover it up.
Berlusconi's declaration was spontaneous, a practice that Italy allows defendants and which does not have the weight of testimony. His lawyers have said that he does not intend to testify.
Berlusconi said yesterday that his long history of legal battles, mostly for his business dealings, also discouraged him from taking the stand.
The case is the first involving the three-time former premier's personal behavior. Berlusconi stepped down as premier last November after failing to persuade financial markets he could come up with convincing reforms to protect debt-laden Italy from the sovereign debt crisis.
While he is still head of his conservative political movement, Berlusconi, 76, has been coy about whether he intends to run for office next spring when Premier Mario Monti's mandate expires.
Berlusconi has repeatedly denied the charges in the sex scandal.
In court, Berlusconi said he "never had intimate relations of any kind" with el-Mahroug, better known as Ruby.
He also said he believed she was 24 years old based on her own statements and that she was the niece of then-Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. In fact, she was 17 and no relation to Mubarak, who was forced to step down and is in a prison in Cairo.
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