George Clooney Named As Witness in Berlusconi Sex Case

The sex case starring Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi may get even more high profile: George Clooney is being considered to testify as a witness.

The "Up in the Air" actor and his Italian model girlfriend, Elisabetta Canalis, are on a list of 78 witnesses named by the prime minister to defend him against charges of sex with an under-aged prostitute, an attorney for Berlusconi told Bloomberg News. The judge has yet to make a final decision on what witnesses will testify in the trial, set to begin April 6.

"It seems odd, since I've only met Berlusconi once and that was in an attempt to get aid into Darfur," the actor said in a statement about being considered for the witness stand.


Karima el-Mahroug, the Moroccan nightclub dancer who Berlusconi allegedly paid for sex, said in a court document that she spotted Clooney and his girlfriend at a dinner party hosted by the prime minister in February 2010 near his villa close to Milan.

Canalis reportedly has denied being present at the party. Her famous beau has a villa of his own not far from where the party was held, beside Lake Como, BBC reported.

A few rich and famous also made it on the defense's witness list. AFP reports supermodel Belen Rodriguez, TV presenter Barbara d'Urso and soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo could also be called to testify.

On Feb. 15th, the scandal-ridden prime minister was ordered to stand trial for paying a 17-year-old for sex and abusing his power to free the teen, nicknamed "Ruby the Heart Stealer," from police custody in Milan due to unrelated theft charges, Bloomberg reports. Both El Mahroug, now 18, and Berlusconi, 74, have denied the charges.

Selected Reading: BBC, Bloomberg

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