Silvio Berlusconi: Proof of sex at Bunga Bunga parties ‘not needed to find Berlusconi guilty’

The Milan court that convicted Silvio Berlusconi of paying an underage prostitute for sex at his infamous Bunga Bunga parties has said that proof of intercourse was not necessary to find him guilty.

The court, in a 326-page document supporting the conviction and seven-year jail sentence that it handed down on 24 June, said all it needed was evidence that the former premier’s “sexual instincts” were stimulated in exchange for payment.

It cited testimony that the evenings culminated with physical contact with Berlusconi “such as rubbing, fondling of breasts and intimate parts”.

The court noted that the Moroccan girl at the centre of the scandal, Karima el-Mahroug, received cash and jewellery in exchange for sexual favours. It also asserted Berlusconi was aware she was a minor.

AP