Appeal court acquits Berlusconi in sex-for-hire case

An Italian appeals court has acquitted former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi in a sex-for-hire case, reversing a lower court conviction that had carried a seven-year prison sentence and a lifetime ban on holding political office.

The case grabbed global attention, offering an unseemly peek into the 77-year-old three-time prime minister’s private life, with witness testimony revealing raunchy, sex-fuelled bunga bunga parties at his private villa attended by a bevy of aspiring showgirls.

The prosecution alleged that Berlusconi had paid for sex with an underage prostitute, a Moroccan named Karima el-Mahroug, better known as Ruby, and then using his influence to cover it up.