A senior aide to Silvio Berlusconi has said the Italian prime minister will not resign over a fresh scandal about his sex life, as it was reported on Sunday that a man accused of supplying him with prostitutes was issued a diplomatic visa to join him on an official visit to China.
News of the trip in 2008 emerged in wiretap transcripts released by magistrates at the conclusion of an investigation into Giampaolo Tarantini, an entrepreneur and cocaine dealer accused of bringing dozens of women to parties at Berlusconi's residences in 2008 and 2009.
Handed a diplomatic visa to join Berlusconi's visit to China in October 2008, Tarantini phoned a colleague to ask how he could set up a night's entertainment for the prime minister during the visit.
"I wanted someone on the inside who could organise an evening … because he has said he will get fed up with the official, formal things there," said Tarantini.
Berlusconi is not under investigation since prostitution is not illegal in Italy, although profiting from prostitution is against the law. Nevertheless, opposition politicians renewed calls for his resignation at the weekend. "What is happening is humiliating for all Italians," said Pierluigi Bersani, head of the Democratic party.
But Angelino Alfano, the secretary-general of Berlusconi's Freedom People movement, warned on Sunday that "the prime minister has no desire to resign".
The new wiretaps appear to back up Berlusconi's boast to one woman that he is a "part-time" prime minister. Transcripts show he withdrew from an appointment at the UN in September 2008, officially to resolve a crisis at Italian airline Alitalia, only to spend the evening with Terry de Nicolò, an escort supplied by Tarantini.
Berlusconi also took time out from official duties to ensure that one of his regular guests, showgirl Barbara Guerra, was not voted off a reality show on one of his TV channels. In another call, he reminded another showgirl, Belén Rodríguez, that he had personally secured her a presenter's role on a TV programme. Berlusconi's obsession with youth is evident from his description of his guests as "bambine".
In one conversation, Tarantini explained how he first gained Berlusconi's confidence at a wedding in 2008 where the prime minister was smitten by a contestant on Italian Big Brother. Tarantini told Berlusconi he had the girl's number but it would be unwise to call her because she "is always with her boyfriend". Instead, Tarantini offered to act as go-between.
After allegedly aiming to secure public works contracts thanks to his ties to Berlusconi, magistrates believe Tarantini then sought to blackmail Berlusconi in return for his silence when the investigation into his alleged pimping activities began.
Although Berlusconi is not suspected of wrongdoing, magistrates in Naples leading the blackmail investigation have asked to interview him. Berlusconi has so far refused, sending them a note in which he claimed he paid the money because he feared Tarantini was destitute and risked "self-harm". One option open to magistrates now is to dispatch police officers to escort Berlusconi to their office.
"I hope the prime minister is aware of how deep the criticism, disgust and rancour towards him now runs in this country," said Nichi Vendola, the head of the Left Ecology Freedom party.