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Summary A witness at a trial has said women dressed as nuns performed for Silvio Berlusconi.
Model Imane Fadil said she had been given 2,000 euros (£1,650; $2,614) by Mr Berlusconi the first time she attended a bunga bunga party.She was one of several women who arrived at a Milan courthouse on Monday to testify in Mr Berlusconis trial.He is accused of paying to an underage nightclub dancer for illicit contact.The woman, Moroccan-born Karima el-Mahroug, was 17 when she allegedly had illicit contact with the prime minister.El-Mahroug herself denies having illicit contact with him.He is also accused of abusing his powers by getting police to release Ms Mahroug - better known by her stage name Ruby The Heart Stealer - from jail when she was arrested for stealing.Ms Fadil told the court she had attended several parties at Mr Berlusconis villa outside Milan.She alleges that the first night she went, she saw two young women in nun costumes stripping for the prime minister. One, she said, was Nicole Minetti, now a regional councillor for Berlusconis People of Freedom party in Milan.Ms Fadil claimed that Ms Minetti and the other woman dressed as a nun stayed the night at the villa, and that women who attended bunga bunga parties were paid more for illicit favours.Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reported last week that Mr Berlusconi had paid a total of 127,000 euros to three female witnesses, including Ms Minetti, since the trial began last year.Mr Berlusconis lawyer, Niccolo Ghedini, denied the payments were an attempt to influence the womens testimony, saying they were legal and reflected the former prime ministers usual generosity, AFP news agency reports.This is one of three trials that the businessman and former prime minister is currently a defendant in. The other two relate to tax fraud and violating official secrets, while earlier this year an Italian court threw out a fourth case relating to bribery claims.Mr Berlusconi stepped down in November 2011 over concerns about Italys economy.
