Italian prosecutors on Monday called for former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi to be banned from politics forever and serve six years in prison for having sex with an underage prostitute and abusing his official powers. "There is no doubt that Silvio Berlusconi is guilty of the crimes he is accused of," prosecutor Ilda Boccassini told the Milan courtroom at the close of a two-year trial that could rock the country's newly formed grand coalition government.
"He had sex with her and he knew she was a minor," said the prosecutor, who has locked horns repeatedly with Berlusconi in past legal cases. "We request a sentence of six years in prison" for the senator, she said, adding: "We ask for a perpetual ban from holding public office."
The trial relates to crimes allegedly committed in 2010 when Berlusconi, 76, was prime minister for the third time in his career and revolves around what prosecutors say were raunchy "bunga bunga" parties at his luxury residence outside Milan. "The women invited to the then prime minister's private residence were part of a prostitution system set up for the personal sexual satisfaction of the defendant," Boccassini said.
Berlusconi, who was not present at the hearing, hit back in a statement saying the case was built on "theories, conjecture, distortions and falsehoods inspired by prejudice and hatred". Berlusconi's defence lawyers will now have a chance to present their final arguments on June 3. The verdict could come at the hearing after that, which has been scheduled for June 24.
Both Berlusconi and the woman involved have denied ever having sex. Berlusconi is accused of paying for sex on several occasions with Moroccan-born Karima El-Mahroug, a then 17-year-old exotic dancer nicknamed "Ruby the Heart Stealer" who was spotted by one of his associates at a beauty contest in Sicily in 2009.
Boccassini said El-Mahroug quickly became the premier's "favourite" and had not admitted the relationship with him only because she had received as much as 4.5 million euros ($5.8 million) from the flamboyant billionaire tycoon. Boccassini said El-Mahroug had followed a "negative Italian dream" based on money and accused her of "Oriental cunning" - a remark that was quickly criticised by observers as racist. It is also alleged that Berlusconi called a police station to pressure for El-Mahroug's release from custody when she was arrested for petty theft - an abuse of his office of prime minister. According to prosecutors, he did so because he feared she could reveal their liaison.
His defence claims he believed El-Mahroug was the niece of former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak and wanted to avoid a diplomatic incident. A programme on Sunday on a television channel he owns included interviews with Berlusconi and El-Mahroug in which the two spoke of "perfectly normal" soirees that had been wrongly portrayed.