Silvio Berlusconi’s family have begun taking steps to evict about 20 women who for years have been living in accommodation at his expense.
The former Italian prime minister, who died of leukaemia in June, aged 86, had lent flats and houses to the women after they became embroiled in his prostitution trials. Many of them were also paid monthly allowances of €2,500 to compensate for the damage caused to their careers by their association with his “bunga bunga” parties.
Prosecutors claimed that the benefits were a reward for lying in court during 12 years of trials. Berlusconi was prosecuted for allegedly paying Karima El Mahroug, a Moroccan dancer known as “Ruby the Heart Stealer”, for sex while aware that she was aged under 18.
