Silvio Berlusconi Facing A Growing Scandal

KOMPAS.com - Silvio Berlusconi was facing a growing scandal last night over his relationship with a 17-year-old Moroccan dancer. A police chief yesterday said that the Italian prime minister’s office intervened on behalf of Karima Keyek after she was arrested for theft.

It is alleged that in an attempt to win the teenager special treatment, his aides wrongly claimed that she was the granddaughter of the Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak.

If this is true, Mr Berlusconi would be open to possible criminal prosecution for abusing his position. But yesterday he described the allegations, including claims that he had a fling with the girl, as ‘trash’, and said he had nothing to apologise for.

Vincenzo Indolfi, the station commander in Milan at the time of the girl’s arrest in May, told the daily La Stampa newspaper that one of his officers received a call from the prime minister’s office saying she was Mr Mubarak’s granddaughter.

‘The caller said something like, “Is it true you have detained this person? Then make the necessary checks and then see what to do”,’ he added.

Miss Keyek, who calls herself Ruby Rubacuori – which translates as Ruby Heartrobber – was picked up by a former showgirl close to 74-year-old Mr Berlusconi when she was released, according to media reports.

Police investigating separate corruption claims are understood to have a statement from the teenager saying she was given a car by Mr Berlusconi. And it is also claimed that she attended dinners at his private villa outside Milan.

More salacious reports allege that while there she witnessed group sex games which, it has been claimed, the prime minister nicknamed ‘bunga-bunga’ parties. Women were reportedly paid more than £4,000 to attend. Last night the Italian leader denied any knowledge of a phone call from his office.

He added: ‘I merely made a telephone call to find someone who could make themselves available for the entrusting of a person who had aroused the sympathy of us all and told a dramatic story to which we gave credit.’

In interviews published yesterday, Miss Keyek claimed to have visited the prime minister’s villa on Valentine’s Day this year. On her Facebook page, she lists belly dancing as one of her interests and shows off photographs of her wearing basques, latex and a bunny uniform.

The setback comes as Mr Berlusconi’s ruling coalition is weakened and his popularity falling after a string of embarrassing revelations over his alleged infidelities. Prosecutors have not launched an official probe into the claims but are trying to verify the teenager’s account of her alleged relationship with the prime minister.

Yesterday Miss Keyek, who is at a women’s refuge in Genoa, said: ‘I’m sorry for everything that has happened. Above all I’m sorry because I’ve involved people who just wanted to help me and never asked for anything in return.’

Her lawyer, Luca Giuliante, added: ‘She needs to be left alone because she is a very young girl involved in an affair that is much bigger than her.’