The Italian prime minister's office has called for disgraced former leader Silvio Berlusconi to pay damages for behaviour that harmed the country's reputation, a lawyer said in his corruption trial.
Lawyer Gabriella Vanadia, representing the Presidency of the Council of Ministers as a joint plaintiff in the trial about the "bunga bunga parties," demanded Berlusconi and 27 other defendants pay damages of €10.5 million ($11.24 million) for behaviour that brought Italy into "international disrepute."
The case relates to so-called "bunga bunga parties" involving young women that took place more than 10 years ago. The trial in Milan is the third in the aftermath of the 2010 scandal, in which former prime minister Berlusconi was charged with abuse of office and promoting prostitution of minors, but was eventually acquitted for lack of evidence.
The current trial is about whether Berlusconi pressured young women to make false statements in court. The media entrepreneur denies the accusations and his lawyer is demanding his acquittal.
The latest demand comes a day after the prosecutor leading the case called for Berlusconi to be jailed for six years.
The court is expected to issue a verdict in the autumn.
Representatives of Berlusconi's conservative Forza Italia party and the heads of the far-right Lega and Fratelli d'Italia parties all expressed solidarity with Berlusconi.
Observers say the latest demand is likely to hit Berlusconi the hardest, coming from what was his office during his time in power. Furthermore, Berlusconi has lately sought to position himself as a reliable supporter of Prime Minister Mario Draghi.
