Mystery over claims of naked Silvio Berlusconi photographs - Lawyers for Silvio Berlusconi have filed legal actions over investigations that have allegedly found photographs of him naked in the company of young women.
The pictures are alleged to have been taken by one or more of the showgirls who attended the Italian prime minister’s so-called “bunga bunga” parties at his mansion outside Milan.
An Italian newspaper reported that the existence of the images had prompted a bidding war between magazines and photo agencies, with a starting price of €1 million (£840,000).
'Ruby the Heart Stealer' is at the centre of allegations including that Mr Berlusconi paid for sex with an under-age prostitute, claims he denies
The premier’s legal team said that the pictures, if they even existed, “would be fakes, manipulated pictures, photo montages”. They have nonetheless filed complaints with judicial authorities and Italy’s privacy watchdog as a precaution against publication.
Investigators seized computers and mobile phones from young women whom Mr Berlusconi, 74, allegedly installed as a “harem” in an upmarket apartment complex in Milan. They are examining the devices to see whether they contain still or video images of the prime minister’s home, Villa San Martino.
Prosecutors in Milan are expected to call on Monday or Tuesday for Mr Berlusconi to be sent for trial on allegations of paying for sex with El-Mahroug, an alleged underage prostitute known as Ruby the Heart Stealer, and of abusing his office in trying to have her released from police custody on a theft charge. The prime minister, whose centre-Right party still has a higher approval rating than the opposition, has denied any wrongdoing.
On Saturday, Left-wing intellectuals addressed thousands of people at a rally in Milan to demand his resignation. “We are here to defend the honour of Italy, to remind the world that not all Italians are the same,” Umberto Eco, the author of The Name of the Rose, told the crowd.
Mr Berlusconi’s spokesman claimed the tycoon had been the victim of a biased Italian judiciary and “set-ups” in the press ever since he entered politics.
“People keep voting for us because they know that we have kept the country safe during the world’s worst economic crisis since 1929,” he said. ( telegraph.co.uk )
The pictures are alleged to have been taken by one or more of the showgirls who attended the Italian prime minister’s so-called “bunga bunga” parties at his mansion outside Milan.
An Italian newspaper reported that the existence of the images had prompted a bidding war between magazines and photo agencies, with a starting price of €1 million (£840,000).
'Ruby the Heart Stealer' is at the centre of allegations including that Mr Berlusconi paid for sex with an under-age prostitute, claims he denies
The premier’s legal team said that the pictures, if they even existed, “would be fakes, manipulated pictures, photo montages”. They have nonetheless filed complaints with judicial authorities and Italy’s privacy watchdog as a precaution against publication.
Investigators seized computers and mobile phones from young women whom Mr Berlusconi, 74, allegedly installed as a “harem” in an upmarket apartment complex in Milan. They are examining the devices to see whether they contain still or video images of the prime minister’s home, Villa San Martino.
Prosecutors in Milan are expected to call on Monday or Tuesday for Mr Berlusconi to be sent for trial on allegations of paying for sex with El-Mahroug, an alleged underage prostitute known as Ruby the Heart Stealer, and of abusing his office in trying to have her released from police custody on a theft charge. The prime minister, whose centre-Right party still has a higher approval rating than the opposition, has denied any wrongdoing.
On Saturday, Left-wing intellectuals addressed thousands of people at a rally in Milan to demand his resignation. “We are here to defend the honour of Italy, to remind the world that not all Italians are the same,” Umberto Eco, the author of The Name of the Rose, told the crowd.
Mr Berlusconi’s spokesman claimed the tycoon had been the victim of a biased Italian judiciary and “set-ups” in the press ever since he entered politics.
“People keep voting for us because they know that we have kept the country safe during the world’s worst economic crisis since 1929,” he said. ( telegraph.co.uk )
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