Italian PM accused of pressuring police to release 17-year-old girl
Silvio Berlusconi, Italy’s 74-year-old prime minister, is under investigation to determine if he used his political influence to have a 17-year-old Moroccan girl, Ruby, released from jail in Milan. Berlusconi
admits he paid Ruby 7,000 euros for attending a party at his residence and to having made the call to police. But he says she was not paid for prostitution and that he was simply assisting a “person in need” when he telephoned on Ruby’s behalf. The launch of the investigation follows yesterday’s court decision that partially overturned a law he passed that would have made him immune to trial. He is currently facing three corruption and tax fraud trials.