Berlusconi to face trial over sex scandal
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has been indicted with abuse of power and was ordered to stand trial on April 6th.
Mr. Berlusconi has been accused of paying an underage prostitute for sex, and subsequently abusing his office to have her released from custody when she was detained by the police for theft. According to the prosecutors, 74-year-old Mr. Berlusconi paid Karima el-Mahroug, a Moroccan prostitute known as Ruby Heartstealer for sex when she was 17 at the time.
Mr. Berlusconi denies paying Ms. el-Mahroug for sex when she was aged 17, and maintains that he only sought to have her released from custody because he thought she was a niece of Hosni Mubarak, the former president of Egypt.
Although prostitution is not illegal in Italy, having sex with a minor is an offence punishable by a prison sentence. If convicted, Mr. Berlusconi could face up to 15 years in prison. The indictment follows a year of turbulent politics in the governing center-right coalition. Last year, Mr. Berlusconi survived three votes of no confidence, just escaping the most recent one by three votes.
In his first public comment since the indictment on February 16th, Mr. Berlusconi maintained that he is “not in the slightest bit worried” about the trial.