HAS SILVIO Berlusconi gone too far this time? Italian political gossip and a variety of Italian and German media sources were alive yesterday with rumours of a wiretap transcript containing vulgar and sexually abusive remarks made by the Italian prime minister about German chancellor Angela Merkel.
The wiretaps are believed to form part of the so-called “Barigate” investigation which sees the Bari-based businessman, Gianpaolo Tarantini, currently under arrest on allegations of extortion, and charged with inducing women to prostitute themselves with the prime minister. The alleged offensive remarks are believed to have been recorded during a conversation between Mr Berlusconi and Mr Tarantini.
Yesterday, the Barigate investigators filed court papers confirming the formal conclusion of their two-year inquiry.
Eight people, including the brothers Gianpaolo and Claudio Tarantini, have been charged with “an unknown number of crimes in relation to the hiring of women in order that they would prostitute themselves with Silvio Berlusconi”.
Many commentators believe that the closure of this investigation, with the subsequent registration of the prosecution documents including wiretap transcripts, may have prompted Mr Berlusconi to make a dramatic appeal on Wednesday evening to state president Giorgio Napolitano.
Unconfirmed media reports claim the prime minister sought confirmation from the president that he would sign into law an emergency government decree banning the publication of all wiretap transcripts, at least until such time as the case arrives in court.
Although Mr Napolitano apparently agreed with the prime minister that publication of wiretap transcripts in the media has been abused, he still felt there was neither “the urgency nor the necessity” for the enactment of a Wiretap Gag decree. Under the Italian constitution, all proposed legislation must be signed by the president before it becomes law.
Mr Berlusconi and his legal team are reportedly worried that some of the wiretaps may now be leaked to the media. Political gossip suggests that the most recent batch of wiretaps contain “requests” from the prime minister for certain female “guests”, as well as much offensive and highly politically incorrect sexual gossip. Nothing, however, may be as potentially harmful as the alleged remarks about the German chancellor.
Speaking on Radio 24 yesterday, former Berlusconi government minister, the ex-Christian Democrat Rocco Buttiglione, said: “I hope this is not the case but, if it were true that the head of the Italian government had spoken in such a vulgar and rude manner about Chancellor Merkel, then I ask you, how can someone in his condition lead the government? Does he not understand that he is doing untold damage to Italy?”