On Monday, Italy’s Supreme Court overturned a 14-year-old acquittal ruling regarding the 21 women who were accused of covering up the late-night parties, also known as “Bunga Bunga”, of former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. As a result, according to the prosecutor general’s office handling the case, the women involved could be retried.
The court’s decision paves the way for yet another trial related to the scandal that captured Italy’s attention and sparked an international stir following revelations about the lavish parties Berlusconi hosted at his villa near Milan.
In the first trial, Berlusconi was charged with paying to have sex with a 17-year-old girl during one of the parties and abusing his political position to hide the affair. Both the woman and Berlusconi denied the charges. While initially convicted, he was later acquitted due to the lack of sufficient evidence to show that he was aware of the teenager’s age at the time of the events. In the second trial, several of Berlusconi’s associates were convicted for facilitating prostitution by procuring women for the parties that became known as “Bunga Bunga.”
The third trial involved 21 women accused of accepting cash to lie and protect Berlusconi in previous prosecutions. A lower court had acquitted them on procedural grounds, but Milan prosecutors appealed the verdict.
Deputy Attorney General at the Supreme Court, Roberto Aniello, said the Italian Supreme Court in Rome ruled Monday that the 21 women can be tried again. However, the court has not yet given reasons about its decision, which is usually announced in a later statement.
An appeals court in Milan is expected to hear the case, although it has not yet been indicated when this will happen.
