Italy ex-PM Silvio Berlusconi acquitted in 'bunga-bunga' party case

Italian erstwhile Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has been acquitted of bribing witnesses to prevarication astir his notorious "bunga-bunga" parties.

The billionaire media tycoon, 86, was accused of paying young showgirls and others to springiness mendacious grounds astir the allegedly raunchy parties.

The different 28 defendants were besides acquitted - among them Moroccan dancer Karima El Mahroug, known arsenic Ruby, who figured successful an earlier Berlusconi case.

Berlusconi has faced galore tribunal cases.

In the Ruby case, the right-wing legislator won an entreaty against his condemnation for paying for enactment with an underage prostitute. Ruby and helium some denied having had enactment and she denied having ever been a prostitute.

In his assorted tribunal cases, helium has denied wrongdoing, accusing prosecutors of pursuing a governmental vendetta against him. He insisted the parties - described by immoderate arsenic "orgies" - were really elegant dinners.

The lone Berlusconi proceedings that ended successful a condemnation was his sentencing for taxation fraud successful 2013. Given his age, Italian justness treated him leniently - helium did a twelvemonth of assemblage work astatine a attraction location adjacent Milan.

Berlusconi was premier curate 3 times betwixt 1994 and 2011. He was accused of giving witnesses millions of euros successful hush wealth successful the "bunga-bunga" trial, but said the wealth was fixed arsenic compensation for reputational harm to radical linked to the notorious parties.

He was temporarily barred from governmental bureau implicit his condemnation for taxation fraud, but won a spot successful the Senate successful 2022 elections.

His Forza Italia enactment plays a cardinal relation successful Italy's ruling right-wing coalition, led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. She hailed his acquittal arsenic "excellent quality that puts an extremity to a agelong ineligible lawsuit that besides had important repercussions connected Italian governmental and organization life".

As Italian leader, Berlusconi forged a adjacent relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. And this week, Berlusconi made arguable comments astir the warfare successful Ukraine which were condemned by Kyiv.

On Sunday, Berlusconi said helium would "never" person met Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, arsenic Ms Meloni did past Thursday successful Brussels connected the sidelines of an EU summit.

Berlusconi said that if President Zelensky had stopped attacking the 2 Russian-backed regions of Donbas successful eastbound Ukraine, the warfare would not person happened. "So I justice very, precise negatively the behaviour of this gentleman," helium said.

Ms Meloni reaffirmed Italian enactment for Mr Zelensky aft Berlusconi's remarks. And Zelensky adjutant Mykhailo Podolyak denounced Berlusconi arsenic "a VIP agitator who is acting successful the interests of Russian propaganda". "He is bartering distant Italy's estimation for his relationship with Putin," helium said.