Call lady ring of 350 women related to purported crime over Rome G8 contracts

Richard Owen, Rome , : {}

A harlotry ring related to purported crime in the awarding of open functions contracts for the G8 limit in Italy concerned as most as 350 women, questioning magistrates pronounced yesterday.

The strong scale of the sex for favours affair, that was formerly pronounced to engage 3 or 4 women, is a serve blow to the centre-Right Government of Silvio Berlusconi.

Investigators pronounced that they had intercepted write calls and unclosed alternative justification that valid that the women concerned in the G8 crime review together with Russians, Ukrainians, Venezuelans, Brazilians and Cubans as well as Italians had been paid about €700 (640) for encounters at in isolation parties and apartments opposite Italy, with a little charging €5,000.

The call girls were allegedly postulated to open functions officials by businessmen behest for remunerative contracts related to the G8 summit, together with allegedly Diego Anemone, a Rome construction contractor, who is underneath detain on guess of corruption.

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Mr Berlusconi primarily programmed the G8 limit for Sardinia, where a limit formidable was erected at a cost of €600 million. He after changed the venue to LAquila to demonstrate oneness with the victims of the Abruzzo trembler last April, at a serve cost of €327 million.

The formulation was entrusted to Guido Bertolaso, head of the Civil Protection Agency and the Prime Ministers right-hand man, who was placed underneath review last month after magistrates pronounced tapped phone conversations referred to that he had perceived passionate favours sheltered as massages at a Rome health and sports centre. Mr Bertolaso has energetically denied this, observant that he usually had physiotherapy for a bad back.

Last week end Mr Bertolaso, who became a inhabitant favourite over the Abruzzo trembler rescue bid and progressing oversaw throng carry out for John Paul IIs wake in 2005, was postulated an assembly with Pope Benedict XVI, who thanked him for his open service.

In further to Mr Anemone, Angelo Balducci, the former head of open works, and dual alternative open officials are underneath arrest. All 4 repudiate any wrongdoing, and no charges have nonetheless been laid opposite them.

Last week Thomas Chinedu Ehiem, a 40-year-old Nigerian part of of a Vatican choir, was sacked after striking phone conversations tapped during the G8 review referred to that he had organised masculine prostitutes for Mr Balducci, who has close ties to the Vatican and is a pope usher, or Gentleman of His Holiness.

Franco Coppi, Mr Balduccis lawyer, pronounced that the allegations were shameful.

We are articulate about things that are personal and private, he said. Mr Ehiem told Panorama repository that he had supposing Mr Balducci with men trimming from rugby players to actors and seminarians.

Mr Berlusconis allies pushed a argumentative magnitude by Parliament yesterday that shields him for the subsequent year and a half from charge in dual stability trials.

In one he is charged with carrying since David Mills, his former British taxation counsel and disloyal father of Tessa Jowell, the Olympics Minister, a cheat to distortion for him in justice in crime cases in the 1990s. In the second, his Mediaset radio association is indicted of taxation rascal over the squeeze of Hollywood movie rights. He denies both allegations.

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