Mafia may be behind Berlusconi’s sex scandal, claims coalition partner

London, Sept 12 (ANI): Responding to the sex scandal engulfing Silvio Berlusconi, Umberto Bossi, the key coalition partner in the Italian PM’s government, said he believed Mafia had orchestrated all the dirty activities.

“I think everything has been put in place by the Mafia,” Bossi, the leader of the Northern League, said as he arrived at an event in Pian del Re in the north of the country.

He added: “We have introduced very tough laws against the Mafia.

“I already said to Berlusconi, ‘Look out because the Mafia is involved in that; the Mafia organises prostitution’. I am convinced that the Mafia organised this thing here.”

On Thursday, for the first time, Berlusconi admitted that Giampaolo Tarantini, a businessman, had brought “beautiful women” to his parties but denied that he had ever paid for sex, reports The Times.

In May, Berlusconi’s estranged wife, Veronica Lario, had announced that she wanted a divorce from the premier after accusing him of being “not well” and obsessed with young women.

She was apparently furious over his attendance at the 18th birthday party of an aspiring lingerie model, Noemi Letizia.

Later an escort, Patrizia D’Addario, claimed that she and another prostitute had sexual intercourse with the prime minister at his official residence in Rome following a private party. (ANI)

30 women hired for Berlusconi’s parties to be questioned

London, June 23 (ANI): Up to 30 young women are to be questioned by Italian prosecutors in connection with parties thrown by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, it has been reported.rosecutors will begin questioning the girls later this week.

La Repubblica newspaper had claimed that the women, including Eastern European models, were recruited to attend at least five parties thrown by Berlusconi at his mansion in central Rome and his villa on Sardinia’s exclusive Costa Smeralda, reports The Telegraph.

The 72-year-old tycoon’s close friend businessman Giampaolo Tarantini is currently under investigation on suspicion of abetting prostitution by recruiting models and call girls for the prime minister’s private parties.

Berlusconi, who is not only under attack from the press and the opposition but also from the Roman Catholic Church, faces increasing pressure to explain whether he knew if the women were being paid to attend his parties and whether he slept with a prostitute. (ANI)

Another woman claims being paid to attend Belusconi’s parties

London, June 22 (ANI): Silvio Berlusconi has been dragged into further controversy after another woman claimed that she was paid to attend the Italian Prime Minister’s parties.

Model Barbara Montereale said that Berlusconi gave her 10,000 euros “as a present” after attending one of his parties at Villa Certosa.

She was also paid an attendance fee of 1,000 euros from a hostess service, allegedly operated by a local businessman named Giampaolo Tarantini.

Patrizia D’Addario, an escort girl and a former actress, had revealed last week that 72-year-old Berlusconi bedded her in November 2008.

Montereale said that she first met Berlusconi when she attended a dinner at Palazzo Grazioli, his residence in Rome, in November.

She was among the three women-including D’Addario and Lucia Rossini-who had been questioned by prosecutors.

Montereale also said that Patrizia had told her that she had sex with the media tycoon-turned-politician.

“Everyone at the dinner knew Patrizia was an escort,” Times Online quoted her as saying.

“I was meant to be sharing a room with Patrizia at the hotel that night. I slept there alone. When she came back at 8am she told me she had been to bed with him [Berlusconi] but that he hadn’t paid her because she had asked for a favour instead,” she added.

However, Montereale said that she was not an escort girl.

“My nickname is long thighs. I am not an escort. I am an image girl, a hostess. Appearing at nightclubs, parties, chatting with clients,” she said. (ANI)