MILAN - Silvio Berlusconi's "criminal behaviour" of pressuring police and bribing witnesses led him to "systematically contaminate" court proceedings in his prostitution case, a Milan court stated on Thursday.

 

Signor Berlusconi was found guilty in June of paying underage prostitute Karima "Ruby" El Mahroug for sex, but the court had never explained the ruling. 

 

On Thursday, the court revealed that Signor Berlusconi knew "beyond any reasonable doubt" that Ruby was underage and that he exchanged "major sums of money and other goods such as jewels" for sex with the Moroccan runaway.

 

The court also found that the "Cavaliere" put "heavy pressure" on police, "forcing" Pietro Ostuni, the chief-of-staff in Milan's police order, to release Ruby in order to "protect himself." There was also evidence that he paid "large sums of money" to witnesses during the trial.

 

Signor Berlusconi was sentenced to one year in prison for paying an underage prostitute for sex and six years in prison for abusing his power by attempting to cover up his crime.

 

Next week the Senate will vote on whether to eject him from Parliament over his unrelated tax fraud conviction.