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| Silvio Berlusconi trial: Ruby accuses prosecutors of psychological warfare | Silvio Berlusconi trial: Ruby accuses prosecutors of psychological warfare |
| (about 1 month later) | |
| Karima "Ruby" el-Mahroug, the woman at the centre of Silvio Berlusconi's sex trial, has accused prosecutors of waging psychological war against her – but admitted she had lied about her origins. | Karima "Ruby" el-Mahroug, the woman at the centre of Silvio Berlusconi's sex trial, has accused prosecutors of waging psychological war against her – but admitted she had lied about her origins. |
| In a tearful protest outside a Milan court, Mahroug read out a six-page statement denying she was a prostitute, and saying she had never had sex with the former Italian prime minister. | In a tearful protest outside a Milan court, Mahroug read out a six-page statement denying she was a prostitute, and saying she had never had sex with the former Italian prime minister. |
| "I have nothing to be ashamed of and nothing to hide," she said. Mahroug denounced the "psychological torture" directed at her by people pretending to help, and accused the media of defamation. | "I have nothing to be ashamed of and nothing to hide," she said. Mahroug denounced the "psychological torture" directed at her by people pretending to help, and accused the media of defamation. |
| Berlusconi is accused of having paid Mahroug for sex while she was a teenager during his infamous "bunga bunga" parties in his villa near Milan, and then trying to cover it up. Both deny sexual contact. | Berlusconi is accused of having paid Mahroug for sex while she was a teenager during his infamous "bunga bunga" parties in his villa near Milan, and then trying to cover it up. Both deny sexual contact. |
| In December, Mahroug risked the ire of the prosecutor, Ilda Boccassini, when she failed twice to turn up to testify in the trial. Her lawyer said she was on holiday in Mexico. In January, when she finally did attend the trial, she was told she would not be questioned. | In December, Mahroug risked the ire of the prosecutor, Ilda Boccassini, when she failed twice to turn up to testify in the trial. Her lawyer said she was on holiday in Mexico. In January, when she finally did attend the trial, she was told she would not be questioned. |
| Berlusconi's legal team said it had taken the decision amid concern that any new testimony from Mahroug would be "exploited" by political rivals before elections in February. Boccassini asked the court to instead use Mahroug's written testimony from the investigation as evidence. | Berlusconi's legal team said it had taken the decision amid concern that any new testimony from Mahroug would be "exploited" by political rivals before elections in February. Boccassini asked the court to instead use Mahroug's written testimony from the investigation as evidence. |
| The latest twist in the trial has come at a politically sensitive time for Italy, as Berlusconi's centre-right party seeks to muscle its way into a governing coalition after coming second in inconclusive polls. | The latest twist in the trial has come at a politically sensitive time for Italy, as Berlusconi's centre-right party seeks to muscle its way into a governing coalition after coming second in inconclusive polls. |
| Parliament is also poised to hold presidential elections in the coming weeks, a highly politicised process given that the new leader will play a key role in calling new polls if no government can be formed from the warring top three parties. | Parliament is also poised to hold presidential elections in the coming weeks, a highly politicised process given that the new leader will play a key role in calling new polls if no government can be formed from the warring top three parties. |
| Mahroug, a one-time nightclub dancer who attended dinner parties at Berlusconi's home as his second marriage collapsed, has been the most pivotal character in the premier's legal woes. | Mahroug, a one-time nightclub dancer who attended dinner parties at Berlusconi's home as his second marriage collapsed, has been the most pivotal character in the premier's legal woes. |
| The scandal broke in 2010 when it emerged that Berlusconi had intervened on Mahroug's behalf after she was accused of stealing €3,000 from a friend and detained by Milan police. Berlusconi said he stepped in because he had believed she was as a relative of Egypt's then president, Hosni Mubarak. | The scandal broke in 2010 when it emerged that Berlusconi had intervened on Mahroug's behalf after she was accused of stealing €3,000 from a friend and detained by Milan police. Berlusconi said he stepped in because he had believed she was as a relative of Egypt's then president, Hosni Mubarak. |
| On Thursday Mahroug, who is Moroccan, showed the court an old passport that identified her last name as Mubarak, and said the bureaucratic error was why she sometimes identified herself as a relative of the former president. She apologised for having created such "fantasy" but claimed she did so to escape the "poverty and suffering in which I was born into and grew up in before leaving my family in Sicily". | On Thursday Mahroug, who is Moroccan, showed the court an old passport that identified her last name as Mubarak, and said the bureaucratic error was why she sometimes identified herself as a relative of the former president. She apologised for having created such "fantasy" but claimed she did so to escape the "poverty and suffering in which I was born into and grew up in before leaving my family in Sicily". |
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