Police chiefs saw through Berlusconi lie, says prosecutor
Officer did not believe Mubarak story for Ruby
13 May, 14:50
(ANSA) - Milan, May 13 - Milan police chiefs saw right
through ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi's story about an underage
Moroccan nightclub dancer in custody one night three years ago,
prosecutor Ilda Boccassini charged in a hearing of a sex trial
against the 76-year-old centre-right leader on Monday.
Milan prosecutor Boccassini claimed when the police
headquarters' chief in Milan, Pietro Ostuni, called the police
commissioner about Berlusconi's phone call, Ostuni knew "full
well that the story about Mubarak's niece was a colossal lie and
he knew full well that the girl was underage, Moroccan, and an
escapee from a group home and that the then-premier was
interested in her".The prosecutor's reconstruction of events the night of May 27-28, 2010 described Berlusconi's "story" to police about the young woman being the niece of Egypt's then president, Hosni Mubarak, as a "hoax" and a "crude excuse". Berlusconi is accused of paying for sex with an underage Moroccan former nightclub dancer, Karima 'Ruby' El Mahrough, and is charged with abuse of office for allegedly interceding on her behalf in a telephone call to police when she was in custody on a theft charge.
But both Berlusconi and El Mahroug have denied having sex.
Prosecutors have produced phone records allegedly proving El Mahrough stayed at Berlusconi's villa several times in April-May 2010, when she was 17.
The sex case is the most sensational and potentially the most dangerous in a series of trials against a man who has reclaimed centre stage in politics with the formation of Italy's new right-left government.
Last week, however, Berlusconi suffered a legal setback when his four-year tax-fraud conviction in trading film rights at his Mediaset media empire was upheld on appeal. The case now goes to Italy's supreme Court of Cassation. Berlusconi is also appealing a one-year sentence for involvement in the publication of an illegally obtained wiretap.
Naples prosecutors have also requested the media magnate be indicted for allegedly bribing a Senator to change political colours and help bring down Roman Prodi's 2006-2008 centre-left government.
Berlusconi claims to be the victim of biased prosecutors who have been conducting a witch-hunt against him since he entered politics in 1994.
Berlusconi's People of Freedom Party (PdL) held a demonstration over the weekend in the northern Italian city of Brescia protesting judicial "persecution" in response to the Mediaset tax fraud ruling.
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