Silvio Berlusconi targeted in teen prostitution probe

Mahroug, otherwise known as Ruby Rubacuori or Ruby Heartstealer, told investigators then that she had attended parties at Berlusconi's villa near Milan. One of these, she was reported to have said, ended in an erotic game known to participants as "bunga bunga."

Berlusconi has acknowledged knowing Mahroug, a Moroccan who had run away from a care home. Mahroug has told newspapers she was paid 7,000 euros after she attended a party at Berlusconi's  residence near Milan. But he has denied any wrongdoing in the case.

In a statement Friday, reported in the Guardian, Berlusconi's lawyers called the teenage prostitution investigation a "very serious interference in the private life" of the prime minister.

The case of "Ruby," became public last October when it emerged that Berlusconi had called Milan police to get her out of trouble when she was detained for alleged theft in May.

Berlusconi has acknowledged calling police on her behalf, but says he was merely offering normal assistance to a person in need.

Instead of being returned to the care home, Mahroug was handed over to a confidante of the prime minister, Nicole Minetti.

Minetti, a former showgirl, became Berlusconi's dental hygienist and, soon afterwards, a regional parliamentarian for his Freedom People movement. She is already under investigation for aiding and abetting prostitution, along with two other close associates of the prime minister.

The age of sexual consent in Italy is 14, but paying for sex with a prostitute under 18 is an offense punishable by three years in jail. Politicians and others found guilty of abusing their position risk jail sentences of up to 12 years.