Opposition calls for Berlusconi to resign
Source: Agencies |
January 19, 2011, Wednesday
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ITALIAN opposition parties stepped up calls yesterday for Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to resign over a probe into allegations he paid for sex with several young women, including a 17-year-old nightclub dancer.
The head of the largest opposition party led a chorus of calls for his resignation after a report by magistrates that was sent to parliament said a "significant" number of women prostituted themselves with Berlusconi at his homes.
"Since Berlusconi's private life seems to be so intense, he should return to it," said Pierluigi Bersani, leader of the Democratic Party.
The conservative prime minister has successfully seen off a series of sex scandals in recent years. But the latest comes at a difficult time as he no longer enjoys a secure parliamentary majority following a split with former ally Gianfranco Fini.
Berlusconi narrowly scraped through a confidence vote last month and last week Italy's top court struck down part of a law that gave him immunity from prosecution.
Italian media had a field day reporting leaked transcripts of phone conversations between some of the women who attended parties at Berlusconi's villa near Milan, described as "bunga bunga" parties in reference to lewd activity.
The investigation focuses on Karima El Mahroug, an 18-year old Moroccan who attended Berlusconi's parties when she was 17 and, according to prosecutors, was paid to have sex with him.
Having sex with a prostitute aged under 18 is an offense in Italy.
The transcripts, cited by Italian media, quote El Mahroug saying that she had asked Berlusconi for hush money and was told by the prime minister that she would receive "as much money as you want" if she hid everything. In another reported conversation, one of the women refers to Berlusconi's residence as a "whore house."
Berlusconi says the allegations are absurd. He says he never paid for sex and has been in a stable relationship since separating from his second wife.
Opposition politicians said the scale of the allegations and the sordid details made Berlusconi's position untenable and badly hurt Italy's international image.
Prosecutors have summoned Berlusconi, who also faces trials on corruption and tax fraud charges, for questioning this weekend on the latest scandal but it is unclear if he will go.
The head of the largest opposition party led a chorus of calls for his resignation after a report by magistrates that was sent to parliament said a "significant" number of women prostituted themselves with Berlusconi at his homes.
"Since Berlusconi's private life seems to be so intense, he should return to it," said Pierluigi Bersani, leader of the Democratic Party.
The conservative prime minister has successfully seen off a series of sex scandals in recent years. But the latest comes at a difficult time as he no longer enjoys a secure parliamentary majority following a split with former ally Gianfranco Fini.
Berlusconi narrowly scraped through a confidence vote last month and last week Italy's top court struck down part of a law that gave him immunity from prosecution.
Italian media had a field day reporting leaked transcripts of phone conversations between some of the women who attended parties at Berlusconi's villa near Milan, described as "bunga bunga" parties in reference to lewd activity.
The investigation focuses on Karima El Mahroug, an 18-year old Moroccan who attended Berlusconi's parties when she was 17 and, according to prosecutors, was paid to have sex with him.
Having sex with a prostitute aged under 18 is an offense in Italy.
The transcripts, cited by Italian media, quote El Mahroug saying that she had asked Berlusconi for hush money and was told by the prime minister that she would receive "as much money as you want" if she hid everything. In another reported conversation, one of the women refers to Berlusconi's residence as a "whore house."
Berlusconi says the allegations are absurd. He says he never paid for sex and has been in a stable relationship since separating from his second wife.
Opposition politicians said the scale of the allegations and the sordid details made Berlusconi's position untenable and badly hurt Italy's international image.
Prosecutors have summoned Berlusconi, who also faces trials on corruption and tax fraud charges, for questioning this weekend on the latest scandal but it is unclear if he will go.
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