Clooney Witness in Berlusconi Trial

Added by James Morley on March 31, 2011

The trial of Italian Prime Minister Silivio Berlusconi calls Hollywood actor George Clooney as witness of the defence, a lawyer reports.

According to Berlusconi’s defence lawyer, Clooney had attended parties at the prime minister’s villa at Arcore together with his girlfriend Elisabetta Canalis, at which the 74-year Berlusconi allegedly paid to have sex with the then 17-year old pole dancer Karima El Mahroug, also known as “Ruby the Heart Stealer”.

Canalis is also on the list of some 78 witnesses that the defence team would like to call at the trial.

The lawyer told reporters “We have proposed George Clooney as a witness… Ruby says both Clooney and Canalis were at a party at Arcore.”

Clooney, however, released a somewhat confused statement reading “It seems odd since I’ve only met Berlusconi once and that was in an attempt to get aid into Darfur.”

The April 6 trial will be centred on allegations of Berlusconi paying for sex with Ruby, who at the time was under the legal age of 18, and also on him improperly using his power to release her after she was arrested for suspected theft in May.

Both Berlusconi and Ruby have denied any sexual relations.