Berlusconi is Going Down. Here’s Why.

Berlusconi is Going Down. Here's Why.

Italian media billionaire Silvio Berlusconi has been indicted by an Italian court and will go to trial in April. His case has attracted a bit of attention since: 1) the 74-year-old is accused of relations with an exotic teenage prostitute, and 2) Mr. Berlusconi is Italy’s Prime Minister.

A half-million Italian women recently protested Mr. Berlusconi’s patronage of teenage prostitutes, but another charge puts him in greater legal jeopardy. The young lady in question was taken into police custody for seizing money and jewels belonging to another. In an attempt to cover up his relationship with her, the Prime Minister sent his attractive dental hygienist/procuress/member of parliament to the police station to free the teen. Well, sure, anybody would.

Mr. Berlusconi and his, um, agent, explained that attractive dancer Karima El Mahroug is actually the niece of Hosni Mubarak and should be released from jail. Ms El Mahroug is from Morocco; Mr. Mubarak is Egyptian. Even if Mr. Berlusconi believed the relationship to be true, the family ties had no bearing on the young lady’s detention and belly dancers do not have diplomatic immunity like ambassadors. Mr. Mubarak was recently deposed; this perversion of the law in his name means Mr. Berlusconi will be, too.

Penalty for the juvenile prostitution charge: three years imprisonment. Penalty for the gross abuse of power: 12 years. If convicted, Mr. Berlusconi will probably never set foot in a cell, but the man is 74 and the case and appeals could drag on for 10 years, so even the indictment is a life sentence. It is a death sentence for his time in office.

 

Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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One Response to “Berlusconi is Going Down. Here’s Why.”

  1. Berlusconi Celebrates Mussolini; Gal Pal Cashes In « NotionsCapital Says:

    […] Italian Prime Minister faces a second charge, abusing the power of his office. When Ms. El Mahroug was accused of theft and held by police, he […]

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