Silvio Berlusconi to stand trial in prostitution case (UPDATES) (VIDEO)

An Italian judge has ordered Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to stand trial on charges he paid for sex with a 17-year-old girl, then used his influence to try to cover it up.

The fast-track trial is expected to begin on Apr. 6, according to news reports, and presiding will be three female judges — Giulia Turri, Orsola De Cristoforo and Carmen D' Elia.

Prosecutors say Berlusconi, 74, paid for sex with a 17-year-old Moroccan, nicknamed Ruby, then used his influence to get her out of police custody when she was detained on suspicion of an unrelated theft of about $4,000. They allege that Berlusconi feared her relationship to him would be revealed.

Berlusconi and Ruby have denied having sexual relations, although she has said Berlusconi gave her $9,550 on their first meeting.

Prostitution is legal in Italy, but sex with girls younger than 18 is not.

The prime minister denies the charge, and the young woman, who is now 18, says she never slept with him.

Of the three female judges, Turri is the best known: she oversaw a tax evasion probe into managers from Internet giant Google and controversially ordered the main players in a drug investigation into Milan discos placed under house arrest. But legal experts say that all three have been known as tough but fair jurists, according to Xinhua.

Although the billionaire businessman has stood trial on a number of business-related charges, this is the first time he is being tried for personal conduct.

After the decision on Tuesday, he did not appear at a scheduled news conference in Sicily, where Italy is seeking to stem a flow of more than 5,000 illegal immigrants from Tunisia.

Ruby is reportedly related to former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, whom Berlusconi last week praised as the wisest leader in the Middle East, suggesting that he should remain in power during the country's transition to democracy.

And how are Berlusconi's sexcapades playing in Rome?