Berlusconi described as ‘a sultan with a harem’

the former Italian prime minister, paid for sexwith underage showgirls and models ‘‘to liven up his evenings’’, a court was told. The 85-year-old billionaire businessmanwas described by a prosecutor as ‘‘a sultan with a harem’’ who recruited the women as ‘‘sex slaves’’. Although the ‘‘bunga bunga’’ scandal emerged more than a decade ago, when Berlusconiwas prime minister, legal proceedings are still dragging through the Italian courts. He is accused of bribing 28 showgirls and associates to lie on his behalf during an earlier trial, when hewas charged with paying for sexwith an underage escort, a Moroccan belly dancer nicknamed ‘‘Ruby the Heart Stealer’’. Berlusconiwas initially found guilty in that trial but later acquitted on appeal after judges ruled that he could not have known that Ruby – whose real name is Karima El Mahroug – was just 17when he slept with her. The bribery accusations have dragged on since 2014.