Italy scandal: Did state planes fly prostitutes?

AP , Saturday 17 Sep 2011

Opposition leaders are demanding an inquiry to see if Italian government aircraft flew a bevy of young women to Premier Silvio Berlusconi's private parties.

Berlusconi
Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi arrives at a People of Freedom party meeting in Rome, Friday, Sept. 9, 2011. (AP Photo)

Leoluca Orlandi of the Italy of Values party is insisting that Premier Silvio Berlusconi tells Italians if the planes were used after intercepted phone conversations in an investigation indicated they might have been.

Italy's Sky TG24 TV on Saturday showed excerpts of transcripts in a probe of an Italian businessman who prosecutors allege paid women to have sex with Berlusconi at the parties. Berlusconi has denied ever paying for sex.

Italian newspapers carried excerpts Saturday from thousands of pages of transcripts. In one call, Berlusconi allegedly boasts 11 women were lined up outside his room but he only "did" eight of them because "you can't do all."

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