Silvio Berlusconi and Karima El Mahroug, better known by her stage name as Ruby the Heart Stealer.(telegraph.co.uk)

老贝自称年事已高 两月召妓33名不可能
Silvio Berlusconi laughs off '33 women' claims
Silvio Berlusconi has ridiculed claims by Italian prosecutors that he paid 33 women for sex in a matter of months, saying he would need the stamina of a man one third his age to maintain such a private life.

The Italian prime minister, who will stand trial on April 6 on charges of having sex with an under age prostitute and abuse of office, launched an angry defence against the accusations, contained in court documents which were released on Tuesday.

"I'm 74 years old and even though I may be a bit of a rascal ... 33 girls in two months seems to me too much even for a 30 year old."

He condemned investigators for citing the women in their dossier because "for the rest of their lives they will be branded with an indelible label – prostitute".

He claimed to have a long-standing "girlfriend", whom he did not identify, who he said would never have allowed him to behave in such a way.

"If I'd done everything they say I've done, she'd have gouged my eyes out. And I can tell you, she has very long finger nails."

He said he had paid for dentistry bills, university tuition fees and medical treatment on behalf of his female friends, but that he did so out of personal generosity, seeking nothing in return. "I'm a walking charity," he said. "I'm happy to be able to do it."

He made the remarks to La Repubblica, a Left-leaning national newspaper that has repeatedly called for his resignation over the prostitution scandal.

Prosecutors have accused the 33 women of prostituting themselves for money, jewellery and other gifts with the billionaire tycoon, who denies all the allegations.

They include the Moroccan-born teenage erotic dancer at the heart of the scandal, Karima El Mahroug, now 18, better known by her stage name as Ruby the Heart Stealer.

Prosecutors say the women took part in "bunga bunga" orgies at Mr Berlusconi's imposing residence at Arcore, near Milan, involving "masks, stripteases and erotic dances" in which they "touched each other mutually or were touched in their intimate areas by Silvio Berlusconi."

(Read by Lee Hannon. Lee Hannon is a journalist at the China Daily Website.)
(Agencies)
 
 意大利总理西尔维奥•贝卢斯科尼日前反驳了意检察官指控他几个月内与33名女郎发生性交易一事，宣称自己早已不是青壮年，无力如此放荡。

贝卢斯科尼将于4月6日出庭受审，被控招宿未成年妓女，以及滥用职权。老贝愤怒地反驳了上述指控。本周二，写有上述指控的法庭文件公之于众。

“我今年74岁了，尽管我有些风流，但两个月找33个女人也太多了。即使对30岁的壮小伙儿来说也吃不消。”

他指责调查人员不应公布案件涉及的几位女性，因为“这让她们的余生都被打上妓女的烙印，无法抹去”。

他宣称自己有一位交往多时的“女友”，但未透露身份，并称这位女友绝不允许自己乱来。

“如果真如检查官所言，她会把我的眼珠挖出来。我可以告诉你们，她的指甲可长了。”

老贝承认替一些女性朋友支付过牙科账单、大学学费、医疗费等等，但这只是出于自己的慷慨大方，不图回报。他说：“我是个慈善家。我很高兴能帮助别人。”

他在接受《共和国报》采访时作出了上述表态。《共和国报》是意大利的一份左倾报纸，曾多次要求老贝因性丑闻辞职。

检察官指控33名女性从事性交易，从亿万富翁贝卢斯科尼那里换得钱财、珠宝以及其它礼物。但老贝对此一概否认。

其中最受关注的是生于摩洛哥的未成年脱衣舞娘卡莉玛•埃尔•马罗格。马罗格现年18岁，艺名“偷心鲁比”。

检察官表示，这些女性参加了在老贝位于米兰附近的阿科豪华别墅举办的“纵酒狂欢性派对”。大家戴着面具，大跳脱衣舞和色情舞蹈，“互相抚摸，甚至还被老贝摸私处”。