Montereale testifies 'Berlusconi paid 5,000 euros for sex'

(ANSA) - Bari, December 15 - Women who slept with Berlusconi allegedly got paid as much as 5,000 euros, a witness testified Monday at an ongoing prostitution trial in the southern city of Bari. "I don't know if it was true but that's what (escort) Patrizia D'Addario and (defendant) Gianpaolo Tarantini told me," Barbara Montereale told the court.
    D'Addario, 47, is a witness for the prosecution in the case against Tarantini and six others - including showgirl Sabina Beganovic, known as the "queen bee" for her role in organizing so-called bunga bunga sex parties at Berlusconi's homes on charges of criminal association and running an escort ring.
    They stand accused of supplying a total of 26 women, including working girls, to the former premier in 2008 and 2009.
    Montereale added she was paid 1,000 euros to show up at parties given by the former premier.
    She also testified that Berlusconi gave her 10,000 euros after she told him she couldn't make ends meet as a young single mother.
    After the parties, D'Addario called her "almost every day, complaining that Berlusconi hadn't paid her and threatening to go public if he didn't keep his promises".