Ruby’s “nightmare is over”: Berlusconi acquitted in “Bunga-Bunga” trial National council committee wants unbureaucratic admission of earthquake victims

Silvio Berlusconi has been acquitted of charges of corruption and witness bribery in the corruption trial surrounding his so-called “Bunga-Bunga” parties with young women. A court in Milan ruled on Wednesday that the former Italian prime minister and 28 other suspects were innocent. As in the first two cases in the affair, Berlusconi escapes conviction and jail time.

The judges found evidence that Berlusconi and the other defendants – mostly young women – had not committed the crimes they were accused of. According to the prosecutor, the 86-year-old had paid the women to tell untruths in the first trials. In those proceedings, Berlusconi was charged with abuse of office and promotion of prostitution by minors, but was subsequently acquitted for lack of evidence.

Berlusconi takes his models off the payroll

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Berlusconi takes his models off the payroll

According to the Ansa news agency, the scandalous entrepreneur and member of parliament managed to achieve an acquittal in the best possible way, his lawyer summed up. “We are extremely satisfied.”

Berlusconi was congratulated by coalition partners in the right-wing government, especially Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. “This is excellent news,” she said after the acquittal.

Meloni had already decided on Monday that the government would withdraw as co-plaintiff and not want compensation from Berlusconi. In 2017, the then centre-left government joined the process. In the spring of 2022, the lawyer of Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s office demanded damages of 10.5 million euros from Berlusconi because his behavior had “brought Italy into disrepute worldwide”.

The trial is called “Ruby three” (Ruby ter), named after one of the escorts at the time, who called herself Ruby Rubacuori (Ruby heartthrob) and was 17 years old at the time of the festivities in Berlusconi’s villa. The native Moroccan, whose real name is Karima el Mahroug, was also a defendant in court on Wednesday and said after the acquittal: “The nightmare is over.” (aeg/sda/dpa)