Berlusconi keeps on staging 'bunga bunga' parties

Silvio Berlusconi and Karima El Mahroug, nicknamed Ruby The details were revealed in a series of leaked wire taps between Grand Prix chief Flavio Briatore and friends which form part of a separate investigation and have been passed onto Berlusconiprosecutors. According to the wire taps between London-based Briatore and his friends, the billionaire media tycoon has switched the venue from his villa at Arcore near Milan, to another property he owns a few miles away.
The phrase "bunga bunga" is said to refer to a crude after dinner sex games that place at the parties Berlusconi hosted at Arcore.
Prosecutors say the women were given money and jewellery by Berlusconi in return for sexual favours and among them was exotic belly dancer Karima El Mahroug who at the time was just 17 years old.
Investigators passed on details of the new events at Berlusconi's Villa Gernetto after stumbling across them during a tax probe into Briatore's yacht Force Blue which was seized by revenue chiefs last year.
Prosecutors in the port of Genoa investigating Briatore have passed the wire taps between the racing chief and his friends, onto colleagues in Milan involved in the bunga bunga case.
 
Details of the conversations between Briatore and his friends were leaked to Italian newspaper il Fatto Quotidiano and they reveal how Berlusconi is still partying but at the Villa Gernetto venue.
The house serves as headquarters of University of Freedom which is linked to his People of Freedom partly and is also used by visiting VIPs.
Il Fatto said that "although no new crimes have emerged from the wiretaps the conversations would certainly seem to to confirm the prosecution scenario" - Berlusconi has always denied any wrong doing.
Briatore's lawyer, Massimo Pellicciotta, said:"I find it absurd that a newspaper has revealed wiretaps before an investigation has even formally closed."
While in a statement Berlusconi's lawyer Niccolo Ghedini said:"This article which says parties have been organised at Villa Gernetto is completely without foundation.
"It should be noted that these telephone calls, if they exist, are recordings that this newspaper has in violation of the investigation and which the defence are not even aware of.
"In spite of this is should be noted that at Villa Gernetto no parties were ever organised but instead, as can be proved by documentation there have been numerous events between foreign and Italian political visitors.
"Noted business leaders have also attended events there and everything has always been transparent and reported by the media."
 
Besides the under age sex charge with Miss El Mahroug, Berlusconi is also accused of abuse of power - he is said to have secured her release from custody for a 3,000 Euro theft by wrongly claiming she was related to the then Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
The age of consent in Italy is 14 but paying for sex with a woman under 18 is seen as under age prostitution and punishable by up to three years in jail.
His trial is set to resume later this week and although he has insisted he will attend hearings to clear his name so far he has not appeared in court and he has already said he will not be at the next session.
Briatore's investigation centres on his Force Blue yacht which he says is available for rent, granting him generous tax breaks, but the only user is allegedly himself and his wife Elisabetta Gregoraci.
 From / The Telegraph