意总理邀乔治·克鲁尼出庭作证

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has called Hollywood star George Clooney among his defense¹ witnesses when he goes on trial next month accused of sleeping with an under-aged prostitute, court documents said.

意法庭近日表示，意大利总理西尔维奥·贝卢斯科尼日前请好莱坞影星乔治·克鲁尼为自己出庭作证。贝卢斯科尼将于下月出庭受审，被控与未成年妓女发生性交易。

George Clooney, who owns a house on Lake Como in Italy, may give evidence at the trial of Silvio Berlusconi.
Berlusconi is accused of having sex with Moroccan night-club dancer Karima el Mahroug, known by her stage name Ruby², when she was 17, below the legal age for prostitution in Italy.

In the trial, which begins on April 6, prosecutors³ accuse Berlusconi of having had sex with a "significant number" of prostitutes during parties held at his private villa⁴ near Milan.

He is also accused of abusing his office to have Ruby released from police custody⁵ where she was accused of theft, as part of a cover-up.

Ruby told prosecutors during questioning that Clooney and his partner, Italian actress Elisabetta Canalis, were among the guests at one of Berlusconi's parties, a claim denied by Canalis.

Clooney, a U.S. actor and activist⁶, said he could recall meeting the Italian leader only on one occasion, about aid to Africa. "It seems odd since I've only met Berlusconi once and that was in an attempt to get aid into Africa," Clooney said in a statement from his Los Angeles-based spokesman.

Clooney and Canalis are among an illustrious list of trial witnesses made public Tuesday, featuring well-known Italian television presenters⁷, actors, journalists and politicians.

Four government ministers, including Foreign Minister Franco Frattini and Equal Opportunities Minister Mara Carfagna, a former topless model, have been called to testify.

Berlusconi denies ever paying for sex and says his parties were normal, "convivial⁸（欢乐的，酒宴的） " dinners.