Silvio Berlusconi: I've got nothing to be ashamed of
Silvio Berlusconi claimed on Tuesday that he has nothing to be ashamed of in his private life, as he prepares to give evidence in his "bunga bunga" trial in which he is accused of paying for sex with a teenage nightclub dancer.
Silvio Berlusconi's trial, in which he is accused of abusing his office and paying for sexual intercourse with a teenage erotic dancer known as Ruby the Heart Stealer, resumes in Octtober Photo: GETTY IMAGES
By Nick Squires, Rome
3:16PM BST 25 Sep 2012
Ten months after he had to resign amid sex scandals and the euro zone crisis, the billionaire businessman insisted he had never broken the law and that he continues to be the victim of a witch hunt by politically-motivated judges.
"I have always behaved correctly, both in private and public. I have never done anything against the law, nor against morality. All the rest is disinformation and defamation," Mr Berlusconitold the newly-launched Italian edition of The Huffington Post.
"The use of the justice system to eliminate political adversaries is a serious pathology in our democracy," he added.
The wide-ranging interview appeared to be an attempt by the ex-premier to lay out his policies ahead of a bid for re-election – he and his allies have strongly hinted that he hopes to become prime minister for the fourth time at elections due to be held in the Spring.
He boasted of his new-found physical fitness, saying he had lost eight kilos (17 pounds) and hoped to lose another four, after a holiday in Kenya at a resort owned by his friend Flavio Briatore, the former Formula One boss.
His trial, in which he is accused of abusing his office and paying for sexual intercourse with a teenage erotic dancer known as Ruby the Heart Stealer, resumes in Milan on Oct 5.
Mr Berlusconi's lawyers have said he will give evidence at a hearing on Oct 19, at which he is expected to deny paying to have sex with the dancer, a Moroccan-born immigrant whose real name is Karima El Mahroug, at one of his so-called "bunga bunga" parties.
In the interview, the media mogul also railed against Germany and Angela Merkel, the Chancellor, for imposing painful austerity measures on the rest of Europe. Germany was "a hegemonic state that is dictating rules on discipline and austerity to other European countries," he said.
Mr Berlusconi said that had he still been in office, he would not have been so "servile" to Mrs Merkel as his successor, Mario Monti, the leader of a technocrat administration tasked with hauling Italy out of the economic doldrums.
He criticised Mr Monti for raising taxes, saying that the policy strangled economic growth. Mr Berlusconi promised that if he returned to power he would abolish a deeply unpopular private property tax – a pledge likely to secure him the support of many voters.
He claimed the moderate, centre-Left Democratic Party was full of "Communists" whose views had changed little since the Cold War. He said "even the Russians" had renounced Communism before the leaders of the Italian Left.
He also came to the defence of a senior member of his People of Freedom Party who was forced to resign on Monday over a scandal over lavish spending by regional politicians and the alleged embezzlement of millions of euros of taxpayers' money.
Renata Polverini, the governor of Lazio region, which encompasses Rome, was brought down in part by a row over a risqué toga party attended by members of her party dressed as Roman gods, gladiators and scantily-clad serving girls.
"She did nothing immoral or illegitimate," said Mr Berlusconi, whose chances of re-election could be tarnished by the scandal.
