Saturday, 28 April 2014. Publishing the motivations of a conviction related to the bunga-bunga parties, a Court in Bari defines Silvio Berlusconi's private life as “bewildering” and states that “beyond a formal appearance of elegant dinners” there was ”a thriving prostitution” orchestrated by Gianpaolo Tarantini for the benefit of the former Italian prime minister.
Gianpaolo Tarantini – a man linked to Mr Berlusconi's, for good and for bad – founded a real “recruitment agency” for women offering services consisting in “sexual performances”, according to the judge Ambrogio Marrone, linked to the so-called bunga-bunga parties held in the Arcore's villa of the Italian billionaire, or in his residence in Rome, Palazzo Grazioli.
Gianpaolo Tarantini (with his wife), the main supplier of women for Berlusconi
The payments for the above mentioned services were called alternatively “envelope”, “gift”, “cachet” or “token”, and were handed over to the girls directly by Silvio Berlusconi, usually on the day of the departure of the call girls, the day after the «sexual encounters, occurred the night before, with the women on duty».
Friday, 28 March 2014. According to the Italian newspaper La Repubblica Berlusconi's favourite night dancer Karima El Mahroug (aka Ruby the Heart Stealer) has started a new life, taking expensive holidays, developing a luxury resort in Mexico and investing in property in the Middle East. Where did she get the money from?
Ruby the Heart Stealer (real name Karima El-Mahroug) having pretty good time in Mexico (Playa
del Carmen's beach)
Now, in 2010 the prosecutors in charge with the sex scandal trial (the result of the so-called Rubygate investigation) intercepted a phone conversation when Ruby – talking to a friend – said that she had received €5 million from the billionaire (which is roughly £4.1m or $6.9). Later on the Moroccan erotic dancer (and call-girl, if you listen to Milan's judges), said that all that stuff (and other stuff she had been telling the judges) was just a made-up show off and she had been “talking crap”, and so on.
Thursday, 2 January 2014. Silvio Berlusconi appeals against his conviction for paying for sex with a minor and abuse of office, nasty things he did when Prime Minister of Italy, according to judges.
Berlusconi just couldn't resist teenage Ruby's charm
Silvio Berlusconi was given a 7-year sentence in the end of June 2013 for having sex with a minor (the nightclub dancer and stripper Karima El Mahroug, better known as Ruby the Heartstealer, her stage name) and for abusing of his office as a prime minister, when he tried to cover the story that threaten to become public, as the young girl was stopped by the police. Berlusconi personally phoned the policemen, saying that they better release Ruby into the safe hands of show-girl-turned-into-politician Nicole Minetti (the attractive young woman will also get a 7-year sentence – later on – for procuring women for the former Italian prime minister's bunga-bunga parties in Villa San Martino), since it seemed she's the nephew of Egypt's president Hosni Mubarak.
Guesting at Italian public Radio2's “A day as a sheep” (“Un giorno da pecora”), the Dominican model and singer (and regular guest to Bunga-bunga parties in Berlusconi's Villa San Martino in Arcore) Marysthell Polanco was asked whether the former prime minister of Italy – now 77 – will ever marry his girlfriend, the 28-year-old Francesca Pascale?
Fri, 28 June 2013. A minor branch of the sex scandal trial gravitating to stripper Karima El Mahroug approaches its end and new leaks about Mr Berlusconi's bunga-bunga nights might come to light, as well as other details about women, girls and others.
Mr Berlusconi's associate Lele Mora relaxing
The
main branch of the trail that followed the rubygate inquiry ended a
few days ago when the former prime minister of Italy Silvio
Berlusconi was sentenced to 7 years in prison (pending appeal, of
course) for child prostitution and abuse of power, but there is a secondary branch of the proceeding – dubbed
Ruby 2 or Ruby bis - where three persons are accused of pimping on
behalf of Mr Berlusconi,
The
three characters – for whom Prosecution demand a 7-year sentence to
each and everyone - are a model-politician, Nicole Minetti, a
journalist-politician, Emilio Fede, and a showbiz agent-bankrupt
manager-bisexual dope pusher, Lele Mora. They are accused of recruiting, testing and keep the females needed for the bunga-bunga parties.
Friday, 7 June, 2013. At the Ruby 2 trial Nicole Minetti denies having had “sex for money” and reveals that it was “true love” if she was hosted by Silvio Berlusconi at his villa(s), and reveals unprecedented “media aggression followed by a wave of scorn” against her.
Nicole Minetti in court
On 31 May prosecutors hinted that Nicole Minetti had being “performing sexual acts for money” in Silvio Berlusconi's villa(s), apparently with the former prime minister, during a trial – dubbed Ruby 2, from the name of the main character involved and because the Ruby #1 is the trial against Silvio himself – where Nicole is a defendant, together with Lele Mora and Emilio Fede.
Nicole Minetti is charged with “induction into prostitution”, as a organiser of bunga-bunga parties and recruiter of prostitutes (among them under-age belly dancer Karima El Mahroug aka Ruby the Heartstealer, nickname that dubbed the related proceedings). Proceedings are slowed down by many obstacles, Karima El Mahroug numerous lies didn't help much. but proceedings are always slow in Italy, aren't they? Prosecution asked for a 7-year sentence.
Friday, 31 May, 2013. During the closing arguments of the Ruby case, prosecutors asked for 7-year sentences for any of the Silvio Berlusconi 's friends involved in bunga-bunga parties and related sex scandal, for different reasons, as they illustrated.
Nicole Minetti seems to say: “Sex for money? Me?
Are you serious?”
Nicole Minetti, former regional councillor, showgirl and model (and - according to her - former girlfriend of Silvio Berlusconi), apart for having fulfilled tasks of “intermediation” in the fixing of the bunga-bunga parties, had an active role by “performing sexual acts for money”, according to prosecutor Antonio Sangermano, while women-connoisseurs “associates” Dario Gabriele “Lele” Mora and Emilio Fede “tested – or tasted - the pleasantness of the girls, checked their social-relational skills and then led into the circuit of the evenings” at Berlusconi's villa in Arcore.
They all deserve a reclusion of 7 years, according to the Public Prosecutor.
Fri, 24 May, 2013. Testifying as a witness at the a trial were three individuals are charged for favouring prostitution, Moroccan stripper Karima El Mahroug (aka Ruby the Heartstealer says she was “talking crap” when she gave away details of spicy parties at Silvio Berlusconi's villa."
Me a prostitute? If not a saint, I might be a nun!
Ruby Rubacuori (Italian for Heartstealer) appeared on the trial (which is already a news, she sometimes forget about it...) where former TV presenter (and Berlusconi's friend, at least before he got dramatically fired by Mediaset, in 2012) Emilio Fede, celebrity agent Lele Mora and Nicole Minetti, a former Lombardy local councillor, model and showgirl are accused of supplying prostitutes to Mr Berlusconi's so-called "bunga-bunga" festive evenings in his villa in Arcore. Nicole said she had been hanging around just because she was the one and only girlefriend of the media millionaire.
Saturday,
February 23, 2013. Silvio Berlusconi breaches the electoral silence
just to declare that he reckons Sicilian Mafia is less dangerous than
Italian Judiciary. Or the other way around.
«The
Italian Judiciary is a Mafia, they are more dangerous than the
Sicilian Mafia,» says Silvio Berlusconi,
on a day when political issues are banned from the media by the
“Electoral Silence Rule”. Another quip destined to find a place amongst Berlusconi's quotes.
Berlusconi greets Galliani, as he arrives to Milanello on his helicopter, in order to spur AC Milan and slam Italian Judiciary
Actually
it looks like a “premeditated scoop”, as usual, since a friendly
journalist put the right question to the former Italian prime
minister, totally out of context (Silvio was in “Milanello”,
where he arrived on a helicopter, in order to greet AC Milan's
player, on the eve of the Milan's derby against FC Internazionale).
«And
I say it» will follow on the ineffable Silvio «knowing to say
something huge». Result: Silvio get headlines everywhere (starting from our blog, sigh! :-( ).
Some
might wonder about the ranking within Silvio Berlusconi's scales of
values, where Italian Judiciary seem to score less than Sicilian
Mafia, and dictator Benito Mussolini seems to enjoy quite some
credit, from the right-wing politician.
Here's
the script of the interview... pardon, the monologue of Silvio
Berlusconi in Milanello (you can find the video on our YouTube channel):
«...because
here in Italy, I have been attacked in connection with the
bunga-bunga, which is an operation of deception, defamation, which is
supported by nothing. In fact nothing came out of it. They made
150,000 telephone interceptions. Without discovering a single crime.
And continue with the proceedings, which have been reported by all
foreign newspapers, where the judiciary is a serious matter whereas
here in Italy it's a Mafia, more dangerous than the Sicilian Mafia.
And I say it knowing to say a big thing.». A big thing, and not really a funny one, Mr Berlusconi!
Wednesday, March 30 2011. While visiting the island of Lampedusa (Sicily) Berlusconi cracks one of his jokes with local women about his reputation of womaniser.
Silvio Berlusconi was visiting the island of Lampedusa, seeking a solution to the invasion of immigrants, a problem that had increased in the previous months.
At the aeronautical base of the tiny island, he met a group of local mothers, came to protest against the wave of migrants and ask their prime minister to grant his help.
And what do they get from the jolly hearted politician? A joke, of course. More precisely a sex-related joke, in these time of bunga bunga scandals, as he use to bestow to anybody he gets in touch with.
“During a survey” told a high-spirited Berlusconi “a sample of the Italian women is asked whether they would make love to Mr Berlusconi. «And how!» is the answer from the 30 per cent of them, whilst 70 per cent of Italian women would reply «What, again?»”.
Another woman was more lucky, since Berlusconi recited a poem to her, dedicated to her eyes.
Wednesday, March 30 2011. The tricky ways of Silvio Berlusconi's lawyers (in the intent of finding any possible way out of the sex scandale dubbed Rubygate).
Niccolò Ghedini, lawyer
As the Prime Minister was showing off in Lampedusa, his army of indefatigable lawyers (led by Niccolò Ghedini) and solicitors were preparing for the mother of all battles, to be fought in few days.
Mara Carfagna, minister
The public prosecutors - who pledged to shut Silvio Berlusconi behind bars, sooner of later – this time are trying to prove that the PM had sex with an under-age dancer, Karima El Mahroug (commonly known as Ruby “Rubacuori”, the Heart Stealer). And paid money for her "sexual services".
More and more people refer to this sex scandal as the Rubygate.
The first hearings will take place on 6 April (if the Parliament is not going to rule the date off on the previous day, when a vote conflict of competence is foreseen), that's why Berlusconi's lawyers are sharpening their knives.
Amongst the trickiest possible weapons, one of the smartest, if you want to drag things out is the following: pack the witness box with people, possible celebrities, to make the greatest possible fuss.
That's why there are almost 80 witnesses (more then a few are women) ready to be heard.
Clooney and Canalis, friends
The defence has called the following witnesses, amongst the others (quite a few are women, beautiful women): Venezuelan showgirl Aida Yespica and Argentinian actress and showgirls Belèn Rodriguez (there is a numerous colony of South American beauties in Italy, as you might expect), Minister of for Equal Opportunity Mara Carfagna (Maxim's "World´s Hottest Politician”), Public Education's Minister Mariastella Gelmini and Foreign Affairs Minister Franco Frattini, Neapolitan singer Mariano Apicella, journalist (and king of gossip) Carlo Rossella, anchorwoman Barbara D'Urso, footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, Hollywood star George Clooney and his girlfriend Elisabetta Canalis.
Quite a list, isn't it? Funny Berlusconi.
A bewildered George Clooney considers “odd” the idea that he could be called as a witness in the bunga-bunga sex scandal trial of Silvio Berlusconi, since he only met the Italian prime minister once (and it was in relation of quite a different topic: raising money for the population of Darfour).
Ilda Boccassini, judge
On the other side of the fence, the judge Ilda Boccassini and her prosecutors have also prepared quite a long list of witnesses (more than 130), but 33 (or perhaps 43, as somebody said) out of them are just, you know, bunga-bunga girls and women.
Monday, 21 March 2011. Milan. New leaks from the Rubygate investigation. At least 33 women are involved with Silvio Berlusconi's "flamboyant life".
Iris Berardi
New details – and pictures (allegedly taken by model Barbara Guerra's mobile phone) – have been leaking in the past days about Mr Berlusconi's flamboyant way of living and hot nights, target of an investigation called Rubygate, from the name of Ruby Rubacuori (nick name for Karima Rashida El Mahroug), the Tunisian girl (later it would turn out she is actually Moroccan) the Italian prime minister might have paid for sex whilst she was still a minor.
The other under-age girl being Iris Berardi, a brazilian showgirl and possibly a prostitute.
Karima Rashida El Mahroug
(aka Ruby Rubacuori)
Allegedly Arcore's Villa San Martino hosted dressing-up (and down) parties, where female guests played different roles: AC Milan's players (specially Ronaldinho and his buck teeth), policewomen, nurses and so on.
Prosecutors linked at least 33 women to the 74-year-old Italian politician. Next month the first of a series of hearings will be held in Milan.
The proceedings are likely to linger on for quite some time.
Perhaps in an attempt to disguise his real identity, some of Berlusconi's women (like former show-girl and dental hygienist and now politician Nicole Minetti) gave up the Papi (Daddy) nickname and called the politician Betty (yes, it's a female nickname in Italy too!). Is't that funny?
Nicole Minetti
The investigation seems to have clarified the bunga-bunga price list that was in use during the Arcore's hot nights:
- 2,000 euro (around £1,750, $2,835) were paid to the girls for the mere participation to the evening;
- 5,000 euro (about £4,370, $7,085) were granted for those who - after the dinner - were to participate to the bunga-bunga party, in the discotheque underground;
- up to 7,000 euro (£6,115, $9,920 circa) was (allegedly) the reward for the chosen one, who would spend the night with “Betty” and... more bunga-bunga.
The date of the begin of the proceedings is April 6, 2011.
