A court in Milan on Wednesday acquitted former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi of allegedly bribing women for not revealing what happened at his private parties in 2010.
The 86-year-old tycoon was charged with a crime of corruption for allegedly paying for the silence of his party participants, 28 of whom were charged with perjury in this trial and have also been acquitted.
The judge ruled that “the fact does not exist”, i.e. that the accusation against Berlusconi and about 20 women who attended those parties – including the Moroccan Karima El Mahroug, known as Ruby and who was at the root of the scandal – was not proven.
Last May, the public prosecutor in Milan had demanded six years in prison and the seizure of 10.8 million euros from the conservative leader.
Italy’s current Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, has already reacted to the news, expressing satisfaction with the court ruling.
“The acquittal of Silvio Berlusconi is excellent news that ends a long legal process that also had important consequences for Italian political and institutional life”said Meloni, who leads a governing coalition that includes the former prime minister’s Forza Italia party.
The trial became known as Ruby Ter, referring to Karima, nicknamed Ruby Rubacuore, the young woman with whom the politician had sexual relations when she was a minor, at his controversial parties, which became known as the “Bunga Bunga” parties.
These “elegant dinners”, as Berlusconi described them, led to a trial for the crimes of abuse of power and incitement to prostitution of minors, in which the former prime minister was sentenced to seven years in prison and eventually acquitted in 2015 by the Supreme Court.
However, this trial led to other trials, including the Ruby Bis case, which led to the conviction of three Berlusconi collaborators for pimping.
The case – which will close this Wednesday unless there is an appeal from the prosecution – was investigated in Milan, but had to be split into several sections for reasons of jurisdiction: in Turin, Pescara, Treviso, Monza and Siena , resulting in a long list of sentences.
The Milan prosecutor’s office maintained in this process that the then prime minister paid thousands of euros a month to many of the women who attended his parties at his mansion in Arcore and at his then Roman residence, Palazzo Grazioni, in the heart of the city.
In this Wednesday’s trial, in addition to Berlusconi, another 28 defendants were acquitted, including Ruby, Senator Maria Rosaria Rossi, journalist Carlo Rosella and the ex-partner of the young Moroccan Luca Risso.
Berlusconi is no longer at the forefront of Italian politics – mainly due to his age and health problems – although he managed to return to the Senate and his party, Forza Italia, is part of the right-wing coalition that currently rules Italy, chaired by Giorgia Meloni.
Source: DN
