Berlusconi's Scandal Deepens as Italian Porn Star Defends Him

Strategic Insights -

Rocco Siffredi, the country's top porn star, has weighed in on Silvio Berlusconi's scandal, praising the Prime Minister's alleged love of sex and suggesting that Italian voters will forgive his alleged transgressions. As Berlusconi faces trial over accusations of paying a teenager for sex and pressuring the police into covering it up, Siffredi believes he will be cleared. This marks a surreal turn in the Italian debate over Berlusconi's alleged taste for teenage girls and prostitutes.

The scandal has created the most serious test of Berlusconi's premiership, with opposition leader Pierluigi Bersani vowing to collect 10 million signatures calling for him to step down. Meanwhile, prosecutors are examining allegations that Berlusconi paid to sleep with Moroccan nightclub dancer Karima el-Mahroug when she was 17, and that he pressured police to free her when she was later arrested on suspicion of theft.

Key Takeaways:

  • Rocco Siffredi, the country's top porn star, has defended Silvio Berlusconi, praising his alleged love of sex and suggesting that Italian voters will forgive his alleged transgressions.
  • Berlusconi is expected to be put on trial over accusations of paying a teenager for sex and pressuring the police into covering it up.
  • Prosecutors are examining allegations that Berlusconi paid to sleep with Moroccan nightclub dancer Karima el-Mahroug when she was 17, and that he pressured police to free her when she was later arrested on suspicion of theft.
  • Berlusconi's wife left him over his friendship with 17-year-old Noemi Letizia, and a prostitute, Patrizia D'Addario, claimed to have slept with him.
  • One of the women named in the prostitution investigation, Maria Ester Garcia Polanco, has admitted she had sex with Berlusconi out of gratitude.
  • Italian opposition leader Pierluigi Bersani has vowed to collect 10 million signatures calling for Berlusconi to step down.
  • The Vatican has demanded a "more robust morality and sense of legality" from Italy's rulers.
  • Half of the Italians interviewed for a poll as the scandal broke said the latest headlines would not affect Berlusconi and could even push up his ratings.

Statistics:

  • 74: Berlusconi's age
  • 20: The age Siffredi claims most women at Berlusconi's parties would have been
  • 17: The age Karima el-Mahroug was when she allegedly had sex with Berlusconi
  • 18: The age of consent in Italy
  • 10 million: The number of signatures opposition leader Pierluigi Bersani plans to collect calling for Berlusconi to step down
  • 50: The ranking of Rocco Siffredi as one of the world's top porn stars
  • 14: The number of women Milan prosecutors allege played striptease games and had sex with Berlusconi

Sources:

  • "The truth is, that Italians are proud of someone like Berlusconi who is 74, loves sex and has a good sex life..." - Rocco Siffredi, top porn star
  • "In any other country he would have been forced out years ago, but here he gets away with it." - Rocco Siffredi, top porn star
  • "I have sex one half of a half of a half of the times he does," - Rocco Siffredi, top porn star (as quoted in a Facebook video)
  • Observations on events surrounding the scandal reported in The Observer
  • A poll reported in The Observer
  • The Vatican's statement demanding "a more robust morality and sense of legality" from Italy's rulers reported in The Observer