Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has been placed under investigation for exploiting under-age prostitution, the ANSA news agency reported on Friday.Berlusconi was accused of allegedly having sex with a teenage runaway Moroccan belly dancer. The premier and the teenager, identified only as ‘Ruby Rubacuore,’ had sexual intercourse in repeated occasions between February to May last year.
The alleged offenses took place in Berlusconi’s sumptuous Milan villa when the girl was just 17 years old. The Milan prosecutor’s office said it has detailed and vast evidence on the case.
Milan prosecutor’s wanted to trial Berlusconi since December 21. However, a judicial shield ruling impeded the PM to attend hearings before them. However, the Constitutional Court partially declared the shield that has protected Berlusconi as illegitimate.
The Italian leader is also under investigation for alleged abuse of power stemming from a Milan police raid on May 27. That night Ruby was caught by police and Berlusconi used his influences to get her released.
Berlusconi said that he acted on behalf of Ruby as he believed she was the granddaughter of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. According to his lawyers, Ruby told him she was Mubarak’s granddaughter and she was 23 years old.
The girl eventually went away with someone else, a Brazilian woman. She was later apprehended and revealed as 18-year-old Karima El Mahroug. Since the Ruby-scandal, other prostitutes have claimed they attended other parties in Berlusconi’s villa.
A veteran news anchor on one of Berlusconi’s three TV channels, Emilio Fede, and top show business impresario Lele Mora, are both suspected of procuring girls and under investigation as well as a Lombardy regional councillor Nicole Minetti, the premier’s former dental hygienist.
