Berlusconi plays it cool over sex trial

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi played it cool yesterday after an announcement that he must stand trial for sex with an underage prostitute, saying his government would stay on until 2013.

“All I can say is that I’m not at all worried,” Mr Berlusconi said.

“We have never been more united and more decided to continue the Parliament until its mandate runs out,” a smiling Berlusconi told reporters in his first public reaction to the news that he must stand in the dock in April.

Mr Berlusconi’s supporters have rallied around the 74-year-old premier, who has denied all the charges and accused prosecutors of plotting against him, arguing that as long as he holds a majority in Parliament he does not have to resign.

But outrage over the sex crime investigation has brought sharp condemnation from the Catholic Church and mass protests by hundreds of thousands of Italian women at the weekend, as well as a sharp fall in Mr Berlusconi’s popularity.

Stefano Folli, a columnist for Il Sole 24 Ore daily, said Italy is now facing a stand-off between the Prime Minister and the judiciary.

“We are headed for a devastating institutional conflict,” Mr Folli said.

“A Prime Minister standing trial for these very serious crimes... is a unique case in the recent history of Western democracies,” he added.

A poll published on Monday said Mr Berlusconi’s approval rating fell to its lowest-ever level of 35 per cent in January from 40 per cent in December.

But the poll also showed Mr Berlusconi’s People of Freedom party holding strong with 29.5 per cent of voting intentions – the highest of any party.

The Prime Minister stands accused of paying for sex with a 17-year-old prostitute nicknamed Ruby the Heart Stealer and then using his status to spring her out of police custody when she was later detained for theft.

The underage sex charge carries a maximum sentence of three years, while the abuse of power accusation is punishable by up to 12 years in prison.

Nicole Minetti, a 25-year-old regional official in Mr Berlusconi’s ruling party investigated on allegations of procuring prostitutes for him, told CNN in an interview that Berlusconi was “generous” and “good in the heart”.

She said the Prime Minister had helped her financially, adding: “He’s not afraid of believing in, and investing in, young people.”

Italy’s left-wing opposition parties expressed bewilderment over the prime minister’s apparent brazenness.

“Berlusconi is the only one in the world not to be worried,” said Pier Luigi Bersani, head of the main opposition Democratic Party, adding: “He is irresponsible since he doesn’t understand the consequences for the country.”

Tuesday’s announcement that Mr Berlusconi will stand trial on these charges starting on April 6 is the latest twist in a scandal-plagued political career spanning nearly two decades for the billionaire media tycoon.