[News] Silvio Berlusconi, 85, allegedly used women as sex slaves’ at his infamous ‘bunga bunga parties during time as Italian PM, court hears

Former Italian PM, Silvio Berlusconi used women as ‘sex slaves’ when he threw his infamous wild ‘bunga bunga’ parties at his villa during his time in office, a court has heard.

The Media tycoon Berlusconi, 85, who was premier three times was also said to have had sex with a teenage Moroccan belly dancer who was one of his guests.

He is currently on trial accused of paying off the girls with bribes so they would not inform authorities about the parties, which would have led to him being impeached and run out of office.

Berlusconi always called the parties ‘innocent and elegant affairs’ but witnesses have spoken of wild orgies with female guests dressing as nuns and performing erotic dances for Berlusconi and his cronies.

The trial has been going on in Milan for eight years with frequent halts to Berlusconi’s ill health and the sudden death of one of the key witnesses, model Imane Fadil.

In 2013 Berlusconi had originally been found guilty of paying to have sex with Karima El-Mahroug, the Moroccan belly dancer, who was also known as Ruby The Heartstealer.

She was just 17 at the time of the parties and considered a minor under Italian law.

Berlusconi was sentenced to seven years in jail but the following year the verdict was overturned on appeal after his lawyers successfully argued there was no proof he had known of her real age.

His current trial stems from the 2013 trial after it was claimed witnesses had been paid off to keep silent.

In her summing up prosecutor Tiziana Siciliano said: ‘The facts have been handed down to history by now, the serving premier was wont to systematically spice up his evening entertainments hosting in his home groups of odalisques, paid sex slaves.’

She added: ‘Berlusconi is the former friend of Putin and now an old man. He was a sultan in his own harem. A very rich and powerful man, a prime minister who accompanied himself with friends like Putin, who is now bringing the world to its knees.

‘He paid for the silence of witnesses with money, houses, cars and horses, every human commodity that you can imagine. What happened at the time at these parties was morally questionable and incredible.

‘A horrible violence which our era looks at in disgust, the detriment of very young girls, some even minors, without the tools to protect themselves from predators of all kinds.

‘Perhaps because I am a mother, I feel and I know that the youth must be protected.’

Ms Siciliano also mentioned the tragic death of Imane in 2019, who had testified against Berlusconi in his first trial and who had died suddenly at the age of just 33.

She said: ‘Imane was a beautiful and truly wounded girl who had been crushed by the system. She was afraid because she had perceived how dangerous and powerful the ride was that accompanied her until her death.

‘Imane however, had a deep desire for justice in the face of those crimes and we must never forget people like her.’

Prosecutors in Milan had initially opened an investigation into her death after she was found to have unusually high levels of the metals cadmium, chromium and antimony and there were fears she had been poisoned but a later autopsy ruled out foul play and her death was put down to severe illness.

Berlusconi and his legal team deny all accusations of bribery and a verdict is expected later this month.