A court in Italy's Rome has acquitted former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who was accused of bribing witnesses to tamper with testimony in three separate investigations into his sexual relations with an underage prostitute in 2010, for the lack of sufficient justification, media reported on Thursday
ROME (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th November, 2022) A court in Italy's Rome has acquitted former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who was accused of bribing witnesses to tamper with testimony in three separate investigations into his sexual relations with an underage prostitute in 2010, for the lack of sufficient justification, media reported on Thursday.
Berlusconi has been standing trial alongside other defendants on charges of bribing witnesses to lie about the now notorious "bunga bunga" parties at his home where underage girls were trafficked. In 2021, he was already acquitted by a court in Siena in parallel trial. A Milan court has not yet issued a verdict, with the next hearing scheduled for late December.
A Rome court ruled on Thursday to acquit Berlusconi because of insufficient justification, Italian broadcaster Rainews24 reported.
Italian singer Mariano Apicella, who took part in the parties held at Berlusconi's mansion, has also been released from responsibility, the report said.
According to the prosecution, Apicella received money from Berlusconi to keep silent in the Ruby case.
Berlusconi has faced several accusations of having sex with an underage prostitute, Karima Mahroug, also known as Ruby Heartstealer, at Berlusconi's mansion in 2010. Berlusconi has denied the allegations. The scandal has resulted in three separate investigations, though the politician has been acquitted in each case.
