The Daily Telegraph: Italian businessman arrested on suspicion of blackmailing Silvio Berlusconi

Italian police arrested a businessman, Giampaolo Tarantini, today, for blackmailing Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to the tune of 500,000 euros. Mr. Tarantini is known to have procured prostitutes for several of the prime minister's notorious "Bunga Bunga" sex parties, but has always insisted that Mr. Berlusconi did not know that many of the attractive young women cavorting around and with him were of the professional variety; now police claim to have 50 hours of phone conversations in their possession implicating Mr. Tarantini with blackmailing the prime minister in exchange for sticking to his story.

The embattled Berlusconi, who is currently under investigation for hiring a 17-year-old prostitute for "entertainment" purposes, claims to have "aided" Mr. Tarantini purely out of the goodness of his heart: "I helped a person and a family with children who found themselves, and still find themselves, in grave economic difficulties. . . I did nothing wrong, I simply helped a desperate man, asking nothing in return. That’s the kind of person I am and nothing will ever change that.” The prime minister also asserts that he has never paid for sex and is generally puzzled by all that is going on.

Mr. Tarantini's wife was arrested along with him; Mr. Berlusconi is not under investigation in this particular case.

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi; noted for his stamina.