Milan:
Premier Silvio Berlusconi faced the most serious challenge yet to his grip on power as Italian
prosecutors sought to put him on trial in a seamy prostitution scandal involving a 17-year-old Moroccan girl that has both titillated and divided the nation.
The prosecutors filed a request Wednesday for Berlusconi to be tried quickly in Milan, on charges that the 74-year-old leader had sex with the girl and then tried to cover it up by using his power.
Moments later, speaking in Rome, Berlusconi accused them of seeking to topple his government, saying they had "offended the dignity of the country" with a smear campaign
and groundless allegations.
Though Berlusconi is no stranger to legal cases, this is the first judicial action against the three-time premier and media billionaire to impugn his personal conduct, rather than his business dealings. The case raises questions about Berlusconi's ability to govern effectively under mounting legal pressure, and comes at a time when he has been weakened by a fight with an ex-ally.
The scandal has splashed salacious details and allegations of wild, sex-fueled parties at his villas across newspaper front pages for weeks and drawn the ire of the Catholic Church. Still, polls suggest the damage to Berlusconi has been limited and his supporters remain as devout as ever in a sign of Italy's political polarization.
"His popularity is down, but not out," said political analyst Roberto D'Alimonte, a professor of political science at Rome's LUISS university. "One of the main reasons is a lack of clear alternative. On the other side, there is not a single credible coalition, there is not a single credible leader and not a single credible programme."