Epress.am News from Armenia
Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian prime minister, has been ordered to stand trial on charges he paid for sex with a 17-year-old girl and then used his political position to try and cover it up, reports Al Jazeera English.
Cristina Di Censo, a Milan judge, handed down the indictment on Tuesday. The trial is set to begin on April 6.
The 74-year-old billionaire has denied the charges against him, saying they are politically motivated. However his lawyers on Tuesday said they “didn’t expect anything else,” in response to the news.
Prosecutors bringing the case against Berlusconi allege he paid for sex with a “significant number” of young women including a Moroccan dancer nicknamed Ruby the Heart Stealer, who was 17 at the time.
The premier is also accused of using his influence to free her from custody after being arrested on suspicion of an unrelated theft.