Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi faces another trial, after being charged with bribing witnesses to silence them over accusations he paid for sex with young women. Reports BBC.
In 2013, Mr Berlusconi was convicted of sex with an underage prostitute in what became known as the “bunga bunga” case.
He was cleared in 2015, after an appeal, but prosecutors claim witnesses were bought off.
Mr Berlusconi, 80, denies the charges. His trial starts on 5 April.
The four-time prime minister remains the leader of the centre-right Forza Italia (Go Italy!) party.
The new charges stem from the previous case, when he was accused of having sex with Karima El Mahroug in 2010, when she was 17.
The Moroccan nightclub dancer became better known by her stage name, Ruby the Heartstealer, in the press.
The new trial will focus on the accusation that the billionaire businessman paid more than 10m euros (£8.5m; $10.7m), between 2011 and 2015, to get witnesses to testify in his favour.
Over half of that money is alleged to have been spent on Ms El Mahroug.
He is said to have brought gifts and cars, and paid for housing, bills and medical expenses, for guests visiting his Milan mansion, where he held his “bunga-bunga” parties.
His lawyer, Federico Cecconi, has quipped that he must be on trial for generosity.
