Is the Party Over for Berlusconi?

Nick Squires, Daily Telegraph June 22, 2009

For years, millions of hot-blooded Italian men have secretly wished they could gatecrash one of the parties hosted by their ebullient prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, featuring scantily-clad starlets and models, and endless bottles of expensive wine.

But now the bacchanalian gatherings are coming back to haunt Mr Berlusconi. The billionaire businessman, 72, is trying desperately to fend off allegations that an acquaintance paid call girls, wannabe actresses and models to attend the parties. Uncharacteristically, the scandal seems to be getting to him. He is tired, flustered – and worried, because it is threatening to overshadow his hosting of the G8 summit in L'Aquila next month. A national joke is turning into an international humiliation.

Attention is focused on a party that the prime minister held at his Rome palazzo on the evening of November 4 last year – the night of the US presidential election. A couple of days ago, one of the young women who attended the event, former Miss Italy contestant Barbara Montereale, 23, dropped a bombshell by claiming that Mr Berlusconi went to bed with another of the women in attendance, Patrizia D'Addario, 42, who was allegedly promised 2,000 euros (£1,700), and who herself claimed that when she saw the gathered women, she thought: "But this is a harem."

Then, yesterday a third young woman came forward, claiming to have details of the candlelit soirée. Lucia Rossini alleged that her invitation to Mr Berlusconi's palazzo, near Rome's Piazza Venezia, came from a businessman and acquaintance of the prime minister, Giampaolo Tarantini, 35, whom she claimed she knew from her home town of Bari. "Why don't you come with me to a party in Rome?" Mr Tarantini allegedly had asked her at the end of October last year. The three women were supposedly paid to fly to the capital and put up at the exclusive Hotel de Russie.

It is claimed they were driven to Mr Berlusconi's home, Palazzo Grazioli, in a car with tinted windows, arriving there around 11pm. They were greeted by Mr Berlusconi, who is said to have told Miss D'Addario: "I'm happy to see you again." She claimed he was wearing a large amount of orange make-up.

Over the next two or three hours, he reportedly entertained them with bawdy jokes, songs – the former cruise-ship crooner is well known for his love of belting out traditional Neapolitan ballads such as O Sole Mio – and video footage of a meeting with President George W Bush at the White House, which Miss D'Addario described as painfully dull.

At one point Mr Berlusconi excused himself from his glamorous guests – he had to go off and make a statement on Obama's historic victory. "He told me to wait around because he wanted to have breakfast with me," Miss D'Addario claimed. At the end of the evening the three women were allegedly given presents – pendants and brooches in the shape of butterflies and tortoises. Miss Rossini and Miss Montereale, who was pictured in Italian newspapers in a low-cut top showing off the jewellery and claiming that the pieces were designed by the prime minister himself, said goodnight and were taken back to their hotel. But Miss D'Addario stayed behind.

Miss Rossini claimed she was too discreet to ask why. "The things that I imagined had happened, I kept to myself," she said coyly. But her companion, Miss Montereale, had no such inhibitions, claiming that there was a sexual encounter between the call girl and the prime minister.

Miss D'Addario, a single mother who claims she once worked as an assistant to the American television magician David Copperfield, allegedly described what happened that night to prosecutors in Bari. As happens so often in Italy, the details were leaked to the press.

"Go and wait for me in the big bed," the prime minister allegedly said, telling her he was going to take a shower. While he was away she claims to have used her mobile phone to film herself in the room, which contained a framed photograph of Mr Berlusconi's wife, Veronica Lario. This was six months before she accused him of "consorting with minors" and said she wanted a divorce.

The scandal, which now threatens to engulf Italy's centre-Right government, erupted last week following a corruption investigation in the southern port of Bari which had nothing to do with Il Cavaliere, as Italians call Mr Berlusconi.

In the course of wire-tapping Mr Tarantini and his brother over allegations that they had engaged in corruption in winning contracts for supplying equipment to hospitals, Italy's Guardia di Finanza, or Fraud Squad, allegedly overheard them talking about recruiting young women for the prime minister's parties. As a result, chief prosecutor Giuseppe Scelsi launched an investigation into Giampaolo Tarantini for allegedly abetting prostitution. He has denied the accusation, saying any money the women received was reimbursement for "expenses" such as travel and hotel bills. The government has been under siege ever since.

Mr Berlusconi appears to think he can ride out the scandal, despite the daily revelations of alleged sleaze, and has angrily described the stories that have dominated the Italian press this week as "rubbish". Yesterday, asked what his response was to the latest allegations, he told journalists: "I'll hang tough."

Mr Berlusconi has said that the allegations are part of a Left-wing plot to discredit him. But there is also speculation that they have surfaced to torpedo his suspected ambitions to alter the constitution so he can become president.

The prime minister, who is not under investigation himself, has told his closest supporters to draw a veil of silence over the affair, and not talk to the press. But stonewalling will fail to stem the growing clamour of criticism against him, not only from his political opponents, who have said he should explain his conduct or resign, but also from conservative newspaper editors and the Catholic Church.

The unfolding scandal has revealed intriguing insights into how Mr Berlusconi weaves the spider's web of gorgeous young women that surround him. Attractive girls flock to Mr Berlusconi's court in the hope of launching careers on the variety television programmes that Italians are so fond of, or as presenters, weather girls or even politicians. Berlusconi's party touted a former Miss Italy entrant, Barbara Matera, and a busty Big Brother contestant as candidates for the recent European elections.

Several women, including the 18-year-old underwear model Noemi Letizia whose birthday party he attended, have said they refer affectionately to Mr Berlusconi as "Papi", or Daddy.

It is not yet clear to what extent the scandals are denting Mr Berlusconi's popularity. Many Italians – particularly men – are unfazed by the shenanigans. "What do you expect him to do when all these gorgeous girls are throwing themselves at him?" said a well-dressed businessman enjoying a cappuccino in the Piazza Navona yesterday.

But observers say the affair is taking its toll on the elderly politician. "He is flustered, because he hasn't been able to control the narrative that has been pushed against him," said James Walston, a professor at the American University in Rome. Senior ministers have rallied round, but some of his own party members worry that Mr Berlusconi may finally have pushed the tolerance of Italians too far.

The big test, of course, will come early next month, when the world's most powerful leaders, including the US President and Gordon Brown, will gather at the G8 summit in L'Aquila. With more unseemly revelations about the prime minister's private life expected to emerge, it is an event that the squeaky-clean American President, and even the beleaguered Mr Brown, are probably dreading.

Comments: 22

Hi, I am Italian and as far as I know, what Berlusconi does in his private life with young girls and so on has been known for quite a long time. It was also in a short novel by Mr Camilleri, a famous and witty Italian writer, 10 years ago: yet, no one ever said a word about it.Why is it all coming out now? I think that B. has not just worked in his own private interest, he has also been very useful to a lot of political parties so far (including the so called "left" wing parties, relying on him as the "enemy" to defeat and the reason to grasp votes from those who hate him). Now his time has come, he is not so useful anymore,probably even the very ones around him do not need him anymore, and as Italian powerful people know very well, the best way to get rid of him is to let everyone know about his sexual behaviour. What I am really angry about is that corruption and political misbehaviuor are not as impotant as sexual choices here in Italy, so that now he is going to be "killed" by gossip papers and Church morality rather than by real, social ethics. What I think is happening is that the new leader for PDL is ready, so that Berlusconi is now being depicted as more embarassing than ever, so that it will be possible to get rid of him with full support by many Italians in a short time.

It�s quite impressive to have read a comment as Marco from Italy says: Outside my opinion around Berlusconi, it is not possible to take always your stand on the opposition concept between friend and enemy. In 15 years Berlusconi has induced us to reason on �with me or against me�. And If you are against, I overkill you! It�s amazing, it is like a psycothic mind! When we will be left over in democracy, maybe someday we have at last no need of Berlusconi!

Lord Barnett, how can you say that people are fed up with him when he has landslide victories both in national and local elections. He has done far more than Prodi or any of the left wingers have done. Even though he owns the tv stations, they are not constantly on his side and also RAI has three channels which they can use. After the earthquake in Abruzzo he was there every day from morning till night, have you ever seen other politicians spending so much time in such places. Also people should know how much money he gives to charity without publicizing it. For goodness sake let him have a life and continue with his good work. Margaret Rome

Italians are such nice people but the truth is censored, any citicisim unwelcome and any questioning ignored. They do not realise how they are being manipulated. So sad for Italy that they have this smiling dictator.

Anti-Berlusconi "scandals": hmmm, must be election time and/or G8 time again. Why yes, so it is, and even foreign newspapers are now involved in the negative reporting (do the latter not do their own research, like interview Berlusconi and his party office-holders for the chance to hear the other side of the story?). Many in Italy hate Berlusconi for daring to enter politics from the business world. Against the old-boy rule of "lawyers preferred". And the "media control" thing is an exaggeration to say the least. Apart from some anti-Berlusconi satire and sentiment on the state channels, these can also be found on his company's channels (like digs at Murdoch cropping up in the Sun, Times, etc.). Report both sides please.

The manipulation of italian media made by Berlusconi is very dangerous. Hope that Italy will not be taken as example from other countries.... we risk our freedom

Marco (or A., as from your signature.....), are you working for Berlusconi's press office ? When you refer to "very good officers", are you thinking to a neo-fascist Michela Brambilla (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRJaeTi1Lxo) ? Or maybe at xenofob mister Calderoli, that plans to put pig's urine on lands where mosques will be builted ? By the way, the last scoop about Berlusconi was revealed by "Corriere della Sera", for sure not a left-owned newspaper. Last, for non-italians people: do you know that in the last week 5 of the 6 national TV news programs (3 owned by Berlusconi, and 2 controlled by the Prime Minister...) are speaking about a generic "sexy gate", without saying that Berlusconi is directly involved ? Remember that 80% of the italians do not read newspapers or internet news...only tv news.

People get the kind of politicians that they vote for. Blair, Brown, Berlusconi,Balls, Blears, Beckett, Boeteng, .....thank God my name begins with the letter `H`

they are all same like BEACHES!!!

You, British, are surprised that a person like Berlusconi, wins elections and has a majority in our country and you wonder WHY ? The reason is very simple : B. owns or controls almost all TV Media and so manipulates the minds of our countrymen. No real information regarding his numerous scandals has reached the main TV-news. RAI-1 and RAI-2 are paid by the people and are state-owned , but are really controlled by Berlusconi's subordinates and Italians that get their information from their News-Broadcasts are denied any information about these scanadals , except what Berlusconi says of them (that is: "Rubbish! Rubbish!"). Canale 5,Rete 4 and Italia 1 are owned by B. and you can imagine their impartiality. We used to live in a democracy, now no more. British, help us !

Berlusconi is the average level of contemporary Italian culture, and I do not see significant signs of change in my country. Berlusconi is the very negation of democracy and is the embodiment of ignorance and the low profile of the political class of this country.

Hallo, I'm italian, perhaps the situation is a little bit different, here . In fact , Berlusconi , apart from his terrible taste in parties and personal life ( nouveau riche, I say) , is quite a good Prime Minister, he is capable to choose very good officers: and, in Italy, it's not so obvious. The main reasion for beeing reelect is simply that: Prodi, and his fellows, are old fabian-catholics or post communist without a clue, apart from maintain the power they had for 60 years. berlusconi, terrible boorish, it's doubtless better politic. Unfortunately, the main news paper outside Italy have no local unit in Italy, and the information come almost all frome the principal Berlusconi ennemy, La repubblica ( owned by Carlo De Benedetti, the main Barlusconi's competitor ). Itlay is complexe, I know. A.

Big mate of the Jowells and the Blairs, make him a Labour peer for �50Million, cash up front, media spin role, and the election's in the can.

Are our current crop of incompetent, sleaze-ridden politicos learning the ropes from those in the EU? Hmmm, makes sense now.

At least Mr Berlusconi has some life and character unlike Gordon (Ah wanna be a teacher) Broon and warmonger Tony Blair. Good luck to Mr Berlusconi, lucky sod!

I believe the only thing straight in italy ,is the roman roads built, when rome was an empire.guess what? the same can be said about britain.anyway probably beyond our present day intellect amongst our so called intelligent media and broadcasting.we are yet to get educated, well my conclusion.so far it is well written crap.

Of course he'll carry on playing the game. He controls the media, so he controls the elections, so he wins the game.Just like Murdoch in Britain.

At least it's resurrected the fifties term 'showgirls' as a euphemism for prostitutes (high class). To be called 'daddy' by a potential sexual partner must be a bit downheartening.

I thought it was a given that on the continent they rather liked politicians who turned out to be philanderers? I also rather thought that the European political model thrived on graft and corruption of every sort - values which are rapidly being mirrored in Britain, unfortunately. Not a shred here about Berlusconi's competence as Prime Minister, or what there is in the way of an alternative within his or other parties - this piece is simply salacious gossip. There are far worse things going on in politics on our own hearth today. 220609-09:42

Miss Tutti Frutti writes: "It is wicked lying to say I touched 'Pappi' on his senatorial wand ! I was rubbing his back to ease pains from all his hard working and he turned over suddenly and it took me 10 minutes or so to notice this thing because I was listening to Maddona on my MP3 player. Also , peoples said I regularly did the **** *** on him ...this is also lie. I used to kneel down to pray with him but he has back pain so stands up in front of me and steady himself by holding my head. He did same thing with my mama , Cosi Fanni Tutti so I know this is true. He is much misunderstood . Very kind to me and mama and pay for our home , cars , holidays, food and give me and mama monthly allowance. This is very good man, not wicked uncle!"

How boring Gordon Brown and Tony B'liar seem. But overall they have done far more damage to our country than Italy's fake-tanned old goat has done to his.

On a recent visit to Italy I found the people to be fed up with him,not so much his bedroom antics but his remarks about the Disaster Victims,here they call him "Deek Head",but,as we all know they voted him in again,just like we did with the Communist Party here so what do they expect?.

Is the Party Over for Berlusconi?

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