PM jokes during trial in which he is accused of paying for sex with an under age prostitute
PM jokes during trial in which he is accused of paying for sex with an under age prostitute
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Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has laughed off the start of the trial in which he is accused of paying for sex with an under age prostitute by joking that he has patented the phrase bunga bunga.
Berlusconi says he has patented the term so that he can use it in all of Italy
The Italian prime minister, who did not turn up for the opening and almost immediate adjournment of the trial in Milan this week, dealt with one of the most serious threats to his political survival in good humour.
"I've registered bunga bunga as a brand so that I can use it in all of Italy's regions," he told a conference on Italy's immigration crisis, in front of the presidents of the country's 20 regions.
Bunga bunga is the nickname that Berlusconi reportedly gave to the sex sessions allegedly performed by young starlets at his mansion.
They are the focus of the trial in which he is accused of abuse of office and paying for sex with a nightclub dancer. He denies any wrongdoing.
The quip earned him a stiff rebuke from opposition MPs, who said it was inappropriate to crack jokes in a forum discussing the exodus of immigrants from North Africa and the recent drowning of up to 250 refugees who were trying to reach the Italian island of Lampedusa.
"His words are shameful and dishonourable at a time when we are confronting such a tragedy," said Livia Turco, of the Democratic Party.u00a0
Bunga Bunga Song
Three showgirls who attended bunga bunga parties hosted by Berlusconi say they are to release a song about their experiences. one of the songs being recorded is called Vamonos al bunga bunga (Let's go to bunga bunga)