Following the Italian premier’s most recent scandal involving a Moroccan teenage girl, the country’s parliament speaker has called on Silvio Berlusconi to step down
“He should… take the decision to hand in his resignation,” AFP quoted Gianfranco Fini, the speaker of the lower house, as saying on Sunday. On October 30, the prominent newspaper Corriere della Sera revealed the details of Berlusconi’s telephone conversation with a Milan police chief, in which he urged him to release the girl, who was detained for theft in May. The 17-year-old girl, known as Ruby, said she attended parties at Berlusconi’s home in Arcore.
The girl claims that she had been trying to break into modeling or television work at the time. She said she had a sexual encounter with Berlusconi at his villa when she was younger than 18. Prosecutors say that while they have opened a dossier on the claim that Berlusconi hired a juvenile for prostitution, he is not under official investigation. Last year, high-end escort Patrizia D’Addario claimed she had spent a night with the prime minister, but the conservative Italian leader said he has never paid anyone for sex.
The new scandal comes as Berlusconi’s popularity ratings have dropped below 40 percent, with his government’s austerity package, infighting, and corruption scandals eroding public support for the premier.
“He should… take the decision to hand in his resignation,” AFP quoted Gianfranco Fini, the speaker of the lower house, as saying on Sunday. On October 30, the prominent newspaper Corriere della Sera revealed the details of Berlusconi’s telephone conversation with a Milan police chief, in which he urged him to release the girl, who was detained for theft in May. The 17-year-old girl, known as Ruby, said she attended parties at Berlusconi’s home in Arcore.
The girl claims that she had been trying to break into modeling or television work at the time. She said she had a sexual encounter with Berlusconi at his villa when she was younger than 18. Prosecutors say that while they have opened a dossier on the claim that Berlusconi hired a juvenile for prostitution, he is not under official investigation. Last year, high-end escort Patrizia D’Addario claimed she had spent a night with the prime minister, but the conservative Italian leader said he has never paid anyone for sex.
The new scandal comes as Berlusconi’s popularity ratings have dropped below 40 percent, with his government’s austerity package, infighting, and corruption scandals eroding public support for the premier.
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