Prosecutors investigating Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi over allegations he had sex with minors have linked him to a second under-aged girl, according to legal papers released on Thursday.
However, a parliamentary committee ruled later that Milan-based prosecutors were not competent to investigate the allegations and voted to reject their request to search Berlusconi’s homes.
The committee’s decision is expected to be rubber-stamped by a full session of the lower house.
Over the past week, the prosecutors investigating allegations that he paid for sex with minors have sent more than 600 pages of documentation to the parliamentary committee to back their case to be allowed to conduct the searches.
Documents put before the committee on Wednesday said Iris Berardi was under age when she visited at least two of Berlusconi’s residences in November and December 2009, ANSA news agency reported.
Berardi, born on Dec. 29, 1991, and described by prosecutors as a “well-known prostitute,” had attended parties at his villas in Sardinia and near Milan, ANSA news agency reported.
Using the services of prostitutes is not a crime in Italy, but paying for sex with a girl under the age of 18 is illegal.
The latest allegations delivered a fresh blow to the beleaguered prime minister, who is already facing allegations that he paid to have sex with an underage girl known as Ruby, whose real name is Karima El Mahroug.
Both she and Berlusconi have denied the allegations.
When Ruby was arrested last May for alleged theft, Berlusconi is said to have put pressure on police in Milan to release her.
He tried to laugh off the incident, saying simply: “I am a big-hearted man and I like to help those in need,” but denying any attempt to improperly exert his influence.
Milan prosecutors say they have evidence that Berlusconi paid money and provided free lodgings to many young women in return for sexual services at his residences.
Berlusconi has dismissed the allegations against him.
Milan’s chief prosecutor, Edmonto Bruti Liberati, announced on Thursday that he was taking personal charge of the case, given its sensitivity.
Press coverage of the investigation based on leaked documents have included material that investigators culled from wiretaps of key suspects.
Comments by Nicole Minetti, a 25-year-old former dental assistant, who early last year became a regional councilor for Berlusconi’s party, have reportedly further implicated the Italian leader in the scandal.
Investigators are probing allegations that she helped recruit underage girls to attend Berlusconi’s parties.
Milan magistrates submitted the new documents to bolster their demand for a special warrant to search various offices linked to Berlusconi.
“A significant number of young girls prostituted themselves with Silvio Berlusconi in his residences in exchange for sums of money,” the document said.
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