Rome: The women who attended "bunga bunga" parties hosted by Silvio Berlusconi were terrified of contracting Aids and other sexually transmitted diseases from the prime minister, according to evidence gathered by Milan prosecutors.
The claims, based on text messages sent between the women, cast further doubt on the Italian premier's insistence that the parties at his villas were nothing more than light-hearted dinners.
A long-running tax fraud trial against Berlusconi resumes Monday and in April he faces a further trial over allegations of sex with an under-age prostitute, Karima Al Mahroug, known as Ruby the Heart Stealer. Berlusconi and Al Mahroug, now 18, deny they had a sexual relationship.
According to evidence submitted by prosecutors, several women last year exchanged text messages in which they expressed their relief after medical tests cleared them of any sexually transmitted diseases.
‘You never know'
"Have you done it? Is everything OK?" asked one unidentified woman in a message sent on January 8, 2010. The other woman replied: "All OK. White blood cells OK, there is no Aids."
The first woman then asked: "Did you have any doubts?" The other responded: "Well you know when someone goes to bed with 80 women, you never know in life." In other texts and phonetaps, women who attended the prime minister's parties complained about gifts they received and the damage to their reputation.
"Do you realise we are branded for life?" said Iris Berardi, an under-age showgirl, in a text message to a friend.
