George Clooney, who owns a house on Lake Como in Italy, may give evidence at the trial of Silvio Berlusconi.(telegraph.co.uk) |
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has called Hollywood star George Clooney among his defense witnesses when he goes on trial next month accused of sleeping with an under-aged prostitute, court documents said. Berlusconi is accused of having sex with Moroccan night-club dancer Karima el Mahroug, known by her stage name Ruby, when she was 17, below the legal age for prostitution in Italy. In the trial, which begins on April 6, prosecutors accuse Berlusconi of having had sex with a "significant number" of prostitutes during parties held at his private villa near Milan. He is also accused of abusing his office to have Ruby released from police custody where she was accused of theft, as part of a cover-up. Ruby told prosecutors during questioning that Clooney and his partner, Italian actress Elisabetta Canalis, were among the guests at one of Berlusconi's parties, a claim denied by Canalis. Clooney, a U.S. actor and activist, said he could recall meeting the Italian leader only on one occasion, about aid to Africa. "It seems odd since I've only met Berlusconi once and that was in an attempt to get aid into Africa," Clooney said in a statement from his Los Angeles-based spokesman. Clooney and Canalis are among an illustrious list of trial witnesses made public Tuesday, featuring well-known Italian television presenters, actors, journalists and politicians. Four government ministers, including Foreign Minister Franco Frattini and Equal Opportunities Minister Mara Carfagna, a former topless model, have been called to testify. Berlusconi denies ever paying for sex and says his parties were normal, "convivial" dinners. (Read by Nelly Min. Nelly Min is a journalist at the China Daily Website.)
(Agencies)
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意法庭近日表示,意大利總理西爾維奧?貝盧斯科尼日前請好萊塢影星喬治?克魯尼為自己出庭作證。貝盧斯科尼將于下月出庭受審,被控與未成年妓女發(fā)生性交易。 貝盧斯科尼被控與來自摩洛哥的夜總會舞女卡莉瑪?埃爾?馬羅格發(fā)生性行為。馬羅格藝名“偷心魯比”,當時年僅17歲,低于意大利從事性交易的合法年齡18歲。 貝盧斯科尼將于4月6日出庭受審。屆時,檢察官將在審訊中指控貝盧斯科尼在米蘭附近的私人別墅開派對時,與“為數(shù)眾多”的妓女發(fā)生性行為。 老貝還被控濫用職權(quán),使被控偷竊罪的魯比免于警方拘留,幫助她掩蓋罪行。 魯比在接受審訊時稱,克魯尼曾和女友、意大利女星埃利薩貝塔?卡娜莉斯出席老貝舉辦的一次派對。但卡娜莉斯予以否認。 美國影星兼活動家克魯尼表示,他只記得與意大利總理老貝有過一面之緣,而且是為了援助非洲一事。克魯尼令其在洛杉磯的一位發(fā)言人代發(fā)聲明稱:“這太奇怪了,我只見過老貝一次,而且是為了援助非洲。” 除了克魯尼和卡娜莉斯外,還有多位“明星證人”受邀為老貝作證,包括意大利知名主持人、演員、記者、政客等。這份名單于本周二公布。 此外,外交部長弗朗科?弗拉蒂尼、機會平等部部長瑪拉?卡爾法尼亞等四位部長、以及一位前半裸模特都在證人之列。 貝盧斯科尼否認曾花錢買春,而且表示自己舉辦的派對是正常的、“歡樂的”聚會。 相關(guān)閱讀 (中國日報網(wǎng)英語點津 Julie 編輯:Helen) |
Vocabulary: convivial: fond of feasting, drinking, and merry company; jovial(歡快友好的,歡樂的) |