Jan. 28 (UPI) — Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi will face a new trial amid allegations he bought off witnesses in his previous trial for engaging in child prostitution for allegedly having sex with a 17-year-old girl.
Berlusconi, a four-time prime minister, was acquitted on appeal in the case in 2015, but prosecutors accused him of bribing witnesses with more than $10.7 million in cash, houses, vacations and other gifts, including to the girl in question. The billionaire businessman-turned-politician denied any wrongdoing. His lawyer said Berlusconi is being put on trial for his “generosity.”
The case, one of several corruption cases against the former conservative Italian prime minister, came to light after one of his now-infamous “bunga bunga” parties at his private villa in Milan. Berlusconi was convicted in 2013 of paying a 17-year-old Moroccan club dancer, Karima al-Mahroug, known by her stage name Ruby the Heart Stealer, to have sex with him. After that trial, Berlusconi was sentenced to seven years in prison and booted from the Italian Senate, but he was permitted to remain free pending his appeal. His lawyers succeeded in having the conviction overturned two years later, as he attempted a political comeback.
Prosecutors now say Berlusconi showered more than 20 witnesses with money and gifts in order to get them to testify in his favor during the long court proceedings. More than half of the $10 million he is accused of spending went to Mahroug, prosecutors charged.
A judge set Berlusconi’s new trial date for April 5.
