George Clooney to be called as witnesses in sex trial involving Berlusconi

George Fan wrote:Story on the two of them not appearing in the Milano court for the Berlusconi trial on October 26th, George received summons at Lake Como and did not respond. Elisabetta had issues with her Green Card and cannot leave the country.

MM wrote:If Betta is an Italian citizen, I don't see what the Green Card has to do in this situation. If George did not respond to the summons, wouldn't that be considered contempt of court? This statement does not make any sense at all.

party animal - not! wrote:Interesting.

Wonder if EC was tipped off, and advised to get back to the US pdq?!

George Fan wrote:With George as a U.S. Citizen he may not have to appear. I don't know the ruling there.

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Clooney absent from Berlusconi sex trial

by Agence France-Presse

Posted on 10/26/2012

ROME, Italy - Hollywood star George Clooney failed to appear Friday, October 26, to give evidence in the trial of former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi on sex charges, leading the prosecutor to accuse the defence of seeking to slow the proceedings.

Clooney and his Italian former fiancee Elisabetta Canalis have been named as defence witnesses and Clooney was due to testify Friday but did not appear.

"Like that, the trial suffers moments of blockage," said prosecutor Ilda Boccassini, nicknamed Ilda the Red for the colour of her hair and her supposed political beliefs.

The defence, who denied there had been an attempt at obstruction, had called the former couple to certify that the dinners held by Berlusconi in 2010 were not the orgies of debauchery described in telephone conversations by several of the young female participants.

Berlusconi is accused of having sex for money with Moroccan exotic dancer Karima El-Mahroug, better known as "Ruby the Heart Stealer", when she was 17.

He is also charged with abusing his position as prime minister by telling police to release her when she was arrested for petty theft in May 2010.

That year, Mahroug said under questioning that she had seen Clooney and Canalis attend a party at Berlusconi's home, a claim both have denied, with Clooney telling Time magazine last year that he had only met the former premier once to seek help in the Darfur conflict.

Boccassini said Friday that the defence had not contacted Canalis, a showgirl who lives in the United States, in time.

As for Clooney, "does it seem possible to you that you can establish contact with the American actor in less than a week?" she asked the defence.

Niccolo Ghedini from Berlusconi's defence team said there had been no attempt at obstruction.

"There are already 10 or 11 witnesses today," he said.

"This trial is moving ahead particularly rapidly at the rate of a hearing a week," he said.

Ghedini said he wanted to work in the "fairest and most transparent manner possible" in respect of the court.

The court has approved a total of 78 witnesses for the defence and 136 for the prosecution, including 32 young women who are said to have participated in the Berlusconi parties.

In a separate case at a Milan court, Berlusconi was sentenced on Friday to four years in prison for tax fraud connected to his Mediaset television channels and banned from holding public office for three years.

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Clooney absent from Berlusconi sex trial

ROME , Italy — Hollywood star George Clooney failed to appear Friday to give evidence in the trial of former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi on sex charges, leading the prosecutor to accuse the defence of seeking to slow the proceedings.

Clooney and his Italian former fiancee Elisabetta Canalis have been named as defence witnesses and Clooney was due to testify Friday but did not appear.

"Like that, the trial suffers moments of blockage," said prosecutor Ilda Boccassini, nicknamed Ilda the Red for the colour of her hair and her supposed political beliefs.

The defence, who denied there had been an attempt at obstruction, had called the former couple to certify that the dinners held by Berlusconi in 2010 were not the orgies of debauchery described in telephone conversations by several of the young female participants.

Berlusconi is accused of having sex for money with Moroccan exotic dancer Karima El-Mahroug, better known as "Ruby the Heart Stealer", when she was 17.

He is also charged with abusing his position as prime minister by telling police to release her when she was arrested for petty theft in May 2010.

That year, Mahroug said under questioning that she had seen Clooney and Canalis attend a party at Berlusconi's home, a claim both have denied, with Clooney telling Time magazine last year that he had only met the former premier once to seek help in the Darfur conflict.

Boccassini said Friday that the defence had not contacted Canalis, a showgirl who lives in the United States, in time.

As for Clooney, "does it seem possible to you that you can establish contact with the American actor in less than a week?" she asked the defence.

Niccolo Ghedini from Berlusconi's defence team said there had been no attempt at obstruction.

"There are already 10 or 11 witnesses today," he said.

"This trial is moving ahead particularly rapidly at the rate of a hearing a week," he said.

Ghedini said he wanted to work in the "fairest and most transparent manner possible" in respect of the court.

The court has approved a total of 78 witnesses for the defence and 136 for the prosecution, including 32 young women who are said to have participated in the Berlusconi parties.

In a separate case at a Milan court, Berlusconi was sentenced on Friday to four years in prison for tax fraud connected to his Mediaset television channels and banned from holding public office for three years.

Joanna wrote:I punched the air when I heard that on BBC radio...then laughed when it was said that although he was sentenced to 4 years he would only serve 1 year due to legislation reducing prison terms for over 70's due to prison over crowding.

I said..."I suppose HE changed THAT law !"

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Court denies Berlusconi bid to halt sex trial

Monday 14 January 2013 20:17
Sapa-AP

A Milan court today rejected a bid by former Premier Silvio Berlusconi to halt his sex-for-hire trial because of Italy's general election campaign, a ruling that means a verdict could come before the February vote.

Berlusconi's lawyers also decided not to call the Moroccan woman at the center of the case, Karima el-Mahroug, to testify, saying her testimony would have "interfered with the serenity of the electoral campaign."

But they asked to hear from six more witnesses instead, including actor George Clooney, who has said he visited the premier's residence once.

El-Mahroug, better known as Ruby, had appeared in court today ready to testify after having failed to show on two previous dates, purportedly because she was in Mexico on vacation.

Berlusconi is accused of paying for sex with the 20-year-old when she was 17 during his notorious "bunga bunga" parties - racy soirees at his villas in which dozens of young women were present - and then using his office to cover it up. Both deny sexual contact.

Berlusconi has apologized for hosting the parties, saying he was lonely after splitting from his second wife. Veronica Laria left him in 2009, citing alleged dalliances with young women.


Berlusconi's attorney had filed a motion to suspend the proceeding
Berlusconi attorney Niccolo Ghedini had filed a motion to suspend the proceeding, citing the demands of Italy's election campaign. The prosecution opposed the request, arguing that Berlusconi was neither the formal head of his party nor its official candidate for premier, and that he has infrequently shown up for trail anyway, as is his right.

In their ruling, the judges said Berlusconi's absences for a political campaign were a personal choice and couldn't be compared with having a parliamentary obligation - which has been accepted as a legitimate reason to delay a trial.

Ghedini said that in allowing the trial to go ahead, it was clear the court wanted to see a verdict before the Feb. 24-25 election.
"It doesn't bother us at all. It should bother the citizens because it is obvious that this will impact the electoral campaign," he told reporters.

Berlusconi has long accused Milan magistrates of mounting politically inspired cases against him - a charge they deny. Prosecutors had already said they didn't need el-Mahroug's court testimony, explaining they had what they needed from other evidence already submitted. The defense had put her on its witness list, but Ghedini today declined to call her.

"We would have preferred to hear her in the trial, but it is unthinkable to do something like this when the election campaign is in full swing," he said. "Our renunciation is a bitter renunciation."

El-Mahroug's lawyer, Paola Boccardi, said her client wasn't angry that she didn't have to testify, just "surprised that she wasn't heard."
Ghedini, however, said he wanted to call six other witnesses on his witness list who hadn't yet been heard from, including Clooney and el-Mahroug's mother.

Clooney has said he was approached by Berlusconi's team to testify about the "bunga bunga" parties, but says he only visited the premier's residence once to seek aid for Darfur and declined an invitation to stay.

The court is expected to decide today on the request to hear from the additional witnesses.

phys major wrote:Of course he is guilty as hell...George knows it too I'm sure...so why even volunteer your services??? Maybe the time George was there nothing happened but I don't for a minute think he doesn't know the truth behind all this...I mean he was dating eli...