Italy's Berlusconi Acquitted In Starlet Bribery Trial

An Italian court on Wednesday acquitted billionaire former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi of bribing witnesses to lie about his notorious "bunga bunga" parties, bringing closure to a years-long sex scandal

Milan, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 15th Feb, 2023 ) :An Italian court on Wednesday acquitted billionaire former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi of bribing witnesses to lie about his notorious "bunga bunga" parties, bringing closure to a years-long sex scandal.

The 86-year-old media mogul was accused of paying young starlets and others for "silence and lies" about his notoriously hedonistic soirees, which he has always insisted were elegant dinners.

"I have finally been acquitted after more than 11 years of suffering, mud-slinging and incalculable political damage," Berlusconi said in a statement issued following the Milan court hearing, which he did not attend.

The senator, whose Forza Italia party is part of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's governing coalition, had already been acquitted in two related cases of alleged bribery, in Siena in 2021 and Rome in 2022.

Berlusconi has dominated Italian public life for decades as a media tycoon, football club owner and three-time prime minister, and has long been dogged by legal battles, most of which he has won.

While he holds no ministerial position, a guilty verdict would have been embarrassing for Meloni's four-month-old government.

Prosecutors could still appeal, but Berlusconi's political allies were quick to hail the verdict, with Meloni saying it "puts an end to a long judicial affair".

The ruling is the culmination of a legal battle which began in 2010 when Berlusconi -- then prime minister -- was accused of abusing his power to protect a young Moroccan nightclub dancer, Karima El-Mahroug.

Known by her stage name "Ruby the Heart Stealer", she had been detained by police for theft, but was released after Berlusconi claimed she was the niece of then Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

Berlusconi was charged with paying for sex with Ruby in 2010 when she was just 17.

- Hush money - He was initially found guilty, but acquitted in 2014 after an appeals court found there was no proof he knew El-Mahroug was a minor.

Judges believed, however, that numerous people had lied during the trial, including El-Mahroug.

Prosecutors launched an investigation that led to the Milan trial, which opened in 2017.

Berlusconi, who was premier three times between 1994 and 2011, was accused of doling out millions of Euros in hush money in the form of houses, cars and monthly payouts.

However, his defence lawyers say the money was compensation for reputational damage for those involved in the case, and insist he was being tried "for the crime of generosity".