A Milan appeals court on Friday
overturned a seven-year prison term against ex-premier Silvio
Berlusconi for paying for sex with an underage prostitute and
abusing his power to try to cover up the affair.
Last year a court of first instance had convicted the media
magnate of paying a Moroccan, Karima 'Ruby' El Mahroug, for sex
before she was 18 and then lying to police to spring her from
jail in an unrelated theft charge, saying she was the niece of
fallen Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak and her detention
could spark an international incident.
The defence said Berlusconi to be acquitted because he
never had sex with Ruby and did not know she was underage at the
time she came to dinners at his house - events that the
prosecution said were 'bunga bunga' sex parties.
The defence also argued that Berlusconi genuinely believed
Mahroug was related to Mubarak when he called the police.
The prosecution are likely to appeal to the supreme Court
of Cassation to try to have the acquittal overturned and the
original conviction reinstated.
"The verdict goes beyond our rosiest predictions," said
Franco Coppi, one of Berlusconi's defence lawyers.
In the several ongoing and previous criminal case,
Berlusconi has always denied wrongdoing, claiming he is the
victim of a minority group of allegedly left-wing prosecutors
and judges who he says are persecuting him for political
reasons.
While the judges were considering the sex case Friday, the
three-time premier went to facility for sick elderly people near
Milan for his weekly session of community service in relation to
a separate tax-fraud conviction.
The media magnate is serving the year remaining on the
four-year tax-fraud term by doing community service as he is too
old to actually go to jail, according to standard Italian legal
practice.
The other three years of the sentence were covered by
amnesties.
Berlusconi, 77, is also on trial in Naples over allegations
he bribed centre-right Senators to change political sides.
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