Former Prime Minister of Italy Silvio Berlusconi was found not guilty on charges of bribing witnesses to lie about the notorious “bunga bungaa party they allegedly organized.

Recall that the “Cavalier” was accused of paying young dancers and other people for false testimony about what actually happened at his parties.

In addition to Berlusconi, 28 other defendants were acquitted, including the Moroccan dancer Karima El Marug, known as Ruby, who also featured in a previous case involving Berlusconi.

Berlusconi has previously been the focus of other court cases.

In particular, in Ruby’s case, Berlusconi won an appeal against a conviction for having sex with an underage prostitute.. Both he and Ruby denied having had sex.

Berlusconi’s judicial adventures

In many of the court cases in which he was involved, he denied all allegations, arguing that his accusers were politically motivated against him. He even insisted that his famous parties, which many refer to as “orgies”, were really just sumptuous dinners.

The only lawsuit in which he participated Berlusconi and led to his conviction occurred in 2013 and concerned the case tax fraud.

Given his age, Italian justice treated him with relative indulgence: “Cavalier” served a year of community service in a nursing home in Milan.

Berlusconi served three times as Prime Minister of Italy from 1994 to 2011. He was accused of bribing witnesses at his famous parties, alleging that the money was given as compensation for damage done to the reputation of people associated with the scandals. ” party.

Although he was suspended from political office following a tax fraud conviction, he managed to secure a seat in the Senate in the 2022 elections, and his Forza Italia party now plays a key role in Italy’s right-wing ruling coalition led by Georgia Meloni. Meloni herself, commenting on Berlusconi’s acquittal, spoke of “great news that put an end to a lengthy trial that had serious consequences for the political life of Italy.”

Source: BBC