Berlusconi to face charges ‘most likely on Monday or Tuesday’
By ANIThursday, February 3, 2011
LONDON - Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is set to face charges as soon as possible for allegedly paying an underage prostitute for sex, prosecutors have said.
Milan’s chief prosecutor, Edmondo Bruti Liberati, who has overseen the investigation into Berlusconi, said a request for an immediate indictment would be submitted to a judge “most likely on Monday or Tuesday”, reports the Daily Mail.
The prime minister is formally suspected of paying for an underage prostitute and abusing his official position to cover it up. Together, the offences carry a maximum sentence of 15 years.
Prosecutors met to discuss whether they should seek Berlusconi’s immediate indictment on both charges or only the second. A trial on juvenile prostitution charges is normally preceded by committal proceedings.
News of the impending request came as it was reported that the girl at the centre of the investigation is pregnant and has plans to marry. The web site of the weekly magazine Oggi quoted well-informed sources as saying Karima el-Mahroug, a Moroccan runaway who visited Berlusconi’s home while still 17 years old, was two months pregnant. The magazine had earlier said that she and her boyfriend had published their marriage bans in his native Genoa. (ANI)
