The escort girl at the centre of the scandal engulfing Silvio Berlusconi has hit back at the Italian Prime Minister's claims that she was part of an organised "mission" to discredit him. Patrizia D'Addario, 42, claims to have spent the night with the 72-year-old billionaire at his residence in Rome the night Barack Obama was elected President of the United States. Yesterday she rejected comments by Mr Berlusconi that "someone sent her with a very precise aim", repeating her allegations that she stayed overnight at Palazzo Grazioli in exchange for help with a personal building project. "I knew that I would be accused of the worst kind of wickedness but I cannot be attacked because I have always told the truth, and indeed Berlusconi cannot deny the circumstances that I have revealed," she told the newspaper Corriere Della Sera.----There were reports yesterday that Bari prosecutors were in a "race against time" as Mr Berlusconi's centre-right coalition attempted to rush through parliament a law that could ban the use of phone tapping and other recordings.A proposal to ban phone taps in cases other than those involving crimes with minimum prison sentences of ten years was put before parliament last year.
The escort girl at the centre of the scandal engulfing Silvio Berlusconi has hit back at the Italian Prime Minister's claims that she was part of an organised "mission" to discredit him.
Patrizia D'Addario, 42, claims to have spent the night with the 72-year-old billionaire at his residence in Rome the night Barack Obama was elected President of the United States.
Yesterday she rejected comments by Mr Berlusconi that "someone sent her with a very precise aim", repeating her allegations that she stayed overnight at Palazzo Grazioli in exchange for help with a personal building project.
"I knew that I would be accused of the worst kind of wickedness but I cannot be attacked because I have always told the truth, and indeed Berlusconi cannot deny the circumstances that I have revealed," she told the newspaper Corriere Della Sera.
----
There were reports yesterday that Bari prosecutors were in a "race against time" as Mr Berlusconi's centre-right coalition attempted to rush through parliament a law that could ban the use of phone tapping and other recordings.
A proposal to ban phone taps in cases other than those involving crimes with minimum prison sentences of ten years was put before parliament last year.
If Silvio Berlusconi were to resign as Italian Prime Minister tomorrow the majority of Italians who get their news solely from television would have little or no idea why. Mr Berlusconi owns Italy's three main commercial TV channels and they have played down or ignored the recent scandals surrounding his private life. Even this week's claims that Patrizia D'Addario, an escort girl, spent the US election night with him at his Rome residence in November has gone almost unmentioned. More surprising perhaps is the behaviour of RAI, the state broadcaster.
If Silvio Berlusconi were to resign as Italian Prime Minister tomorrow the majority of Italians who get their news solely from television would have little or no idea why.
Mr Berlusconi owns Italy's three main commercial TV channels and they have played down or ignored the recent scandals surrounding his private life.
Even this week's claims that Patrizia D'Addario, an escort girl, spent the US election night with him at his Rome residence in November has gone almost unmentioned.
More surprising perhaps is the behaviour of RAI, the state broadcaster.
the night Barack Obama was elected President of the United States.
Wha?
You know this Berlusconi story is kind of boring compared to the Sanford freakshow... "Pretending that you already know the answer when you don't is not actually very helpful." ~Migeru.
After forcing the all female audience to watch a film narrating his prodigious accomplishments throughout the inhabited world, he offered a predawn dinner inundated with butterflies to the point D'Addario describes as indigestion caused by butterflies. The butterflies were not real though- perhaps not on call in October. I was reminded of A.S. Byatt's "Morpho Eugenia" in Angels and Insects.
There's the slow dance as the pianist sings "My Way". She had previously described the dance as being tightly squeezed by a Berlusconi smothered in make-up, de rigueur black shirt, and sporting pumps to compensate his stumpiness.
There is now a video online put up by l'Espresso of a party at Villa Certosa when Russia and Georgia were at war last August. The accompanying article identifies many of the people there, most notably the entrepreneur Tarantini who is at the center of the Bari investigation. Music sung by Simon Le Bon.
On that date, August 11th, the press said Berlusconi was with his family, but in continuous contact with other members of G8 to follow the crisis.
The car belonged to one of the witnesses who confirmed Patrizia D'Addario's testimony. The woman, Barbara Montereale, accompanied Ms. D'Addario on one of her trips to Palazzo Grazioli.
Montereale also attended parties in Sardinia.
Silvio Berlusconi's close supporters deny there will be any fuggi fuggi - rush to the exit - in the wake of highly-publicised scandals surrounding his private life, but senior allies in Italy's centre-right coalition are already contemplating a political future without their long-time leader. Well-placed government sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, stress that they do not see the 72-year-old media tycoon and three-time prime minister resigning soon. Yet key ministers are starting to position themselves in the event that more damaging revelations might lead him to step down. "This is a completely new scenario. The sands are shifting," one official said, looking back at the past two months since news broke about Mr Berlusconi's friendship with an 18-year-old would-be model and the subsequent declaration by his wife, Veronica Lario, that she wanted to divorce the man who "frequents minors". [...] Then there are key figures who have largely kept silent or distanced themselves, seeing a future beyond Mr Berlusconi, while hoping any succession will be orderly. Gianni Letta, cabinet under-secretary, is closest to Mr Berlusconi and is effectively acting as prime minister, running affairs as his boss spends time fighting his problems. Giulio Tremonti, finance minister, has the advantage of close ties with the Northern League. Gianfranco Fini, speaker of parliament, is cultivating a respectable statesman image. But like a Middle Eastern potentate who cannot afford to leave the scene, officials note one serious obstacle to resignation, apart from Mr Berlusconi's renowned doggedness. His immunity from prosecution, granted by his large majority in parliament, lasts only as long as he stays in office.
Well-placed government sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, stress that they do not see the 72-year-old media tycoon and three-time prime minister resigning soon. Yet key ministers are starting to position themselves in the event that more damaging revelations might lead him to step down.
"This is a completely new scenario. The sands are shifting," one official said, looking back at the past two months since news broke about Mr Berlusconi's friendship with an 18-year-old would-be model and the subsequent declaration by his wife, Veronica Lario, that she wanted to divorce the man who "frequents minors".
[...]
Then there are key figures who have largely kept silent or distanced themselves, seeing a future beyond Mr Berlusconi, while hoping any succession will be orderly.
Gianni Letta, cabinet under-secretary, is closest to Mr Berlusconi and is effectively acting as prime minister, running affairs as his boss spends time fighting his problems. Giulio Tremonti, finance minister, has the advantage of close ties with the Northern League. Gianfranco Fini, speaker of parliament, is cultivating a respectable statesman image.
But like a Middle Eastern potentate who cannot afford to leave the scene, officials note one serious obstacle to resignation, apart from Mr Berlusconi's renowned doggedness. His immunity from prosecution, granted by his large majority in parliament, lasts only as long as he stays in office.
