Silvio Berlusconi Faces New Sex Scandal

by candice.tsuei | September 9, 2009 at 04:03 pm

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A total of 30 young women have allegedly attended 18 dinner parties at the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's lavish mansion over a five-month period, and some of whom were paid to have sex with him, according to a statement to police by the businessman who supplied the women.

The businessman, Gianpaolo Tarantini, said his aim was to win favours from those in power. "I wanted to get to know prime minister Berlusconi and to that end I incurred significant expense to enter into his confidence," he was quoted as saying. "Knowing of his interest in the female sex, what I did was to take girls to see him, introducing them as friends of mine and concealing from him that sometimes I paid them."

Mr Tarantini added that he wanted to “establish a network in the public administration because I thought that these days girls and cocaine were the key to access and success in society”, according to the report.

Tarantini allegedly supplied women for Berlusconi's residences in Rome and Sardinia. While for some women, the standard rate for "sexual services" was €1,000 (£878), some women were merely paid expenses. These women ranged from high-class prostitutes to a television showgirl who is known to the public.

One woman was described as "a very dear friend" to whom he supplied cocaine at parties. "She is not in principle a professional sex worker," Tarantini was quoted as saying. "But, if need be, she doesn't have a problem with being paid for sexual services."

The 72-year-old leader has been at the center of a swirling scandal for a a couple months ever since the news about him attending the 19th birthday party of an aspiring model Noemi Letizia broke out. His sex scandals could be bringing his weakening domination of Italian politics to an end.

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