The prosecutors have said that ex-premier Mr Berlusconi should be sentenced to six years in prison for allegedly paying for sex with the exotic dancer Karima El-Mahroug - nicknamed ‘Ruby the Heart Stealer’ - when she was under age, and for abusing his powers to cover up the act, reports The Independent.

Credibility

Mr Berlusconi denies all the charges and has claimed he is a victim of a witch hunt by left-wing magistrates.
With a verdict soon due– the report suggests by 24 June - Mr Berlusconi’s defence has increased its attacks on the credibility of the prosecution.
Mr Ghedini - who is also an MP in Mr Berlusconi’s conservative PDL (People of Freedom) party – claimed: ‘Rightly or wrongly, we consider the court prejudiced. In the course of this trial, I’ve had the feeling that I’ve caused irritation among the judges. The state prosecutor has not appeared to cause the same annoyance.’

‘Bunga bunga’

Mr Ghedini added that the prosecutors and judges shared a ‘cultural closeness’.
The prosecution claims that the so-called ‘bunga bunga’ parties held by Mr Berlusconi regularly degenerated into paid-for sex sessions, while the 76-year-old three-time Italian premier maintains they were ‘refined and elegant parties’.