London The teenage belly dancer allegedly paid by Silvio Berlusconi for sex told a friend that the former Italian prime minister offered her to give all the money she wants and to cover her in gold to keep silence about their relationship,
according to newly emerged wiretaps, ANI reports.
Moroccan- born Karima ” Ruby” El Mahroug also told that she began ” seeing” Berlusconi when she was just 16 years old she later demanded 5m euro ( 4m pounds) from him to keep quiet about it, the alt39 Independentalt39 reported.
Berlusconi is on trial in Milan, accused of paying for sex with a minor and abusing his office to cover up the act. But both El Mahroug and Berlusconi deny having had sex together.
However, in the intercepted phone calls, El Mahroug, now 19, is heard telling a friend: ” I know Silvio and now the fact is coming out that Ialt39m a lover of Silvio.
Hes crazy about me. Ialt39ve been seeing him for a year now. Its in all the papers.
Hes told me to pretend Ialt39m crazy.” ” He called me yesterday and said Ialt39ll give you all the money you want, Ialt39ll pay you, Ialt39ll cover you in gold but the important thing is that you hide everything and donalt39t tell anyone anything,” she is heard saying on the wiretaps, which were published on the website of Italys La Repubblica newspaper.
Prosecutors will use the conversation as evidence of illegal sexual relations and of the lengths to which Berlusconi and his aides were prepared to go to cover them up.
At least 13 sexual encounters are said to have taken place during or after the notorious ” bung- bunga” parties at his Arcore mansion outside Milan in 2010.
In another conversation, El Mahroug reveals that she asked the billionaire for 5m euro to keep quiet.
Berlusconi has denied all charges. He has frequently criticised the courts and accused investigating magistrates of harbouring a politically- motivated grudge against him.
The mogul, whose premiership collapsed late last year amid the growing financial crisis and after numerous scandals, has consistently described his notorious soirees, in which prosecutors claim he paid for sex with 33 women, as ” refined and elegant parties”. Last week he appeared at the Milan court and told reporters: ” Bunga bunga? It was just a burlesque competition.” Details recently emerged of how strippers in nun costumes performed for him during one of the ” elegant” dinner parties.
Bank records have revealed that since the start of the alt39 Rubygatealt39 trial, the billionaire has paid a total of 127,000 euro to three key witnesses.
