George Clooney Summoned To Testify At Berlusconi Trial

Superstar actor/director George Clooney has been named a witness in former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi’s new sex and corruption trial. Clooney’s ex-girlfriend, DANCING WITH THE STARS contestant Elisabetta Canalis and soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo were also among the more than 200 names accepted by a Milan court for the case, which alleges that the media titan had sex with an underage prostitute.  Berlusconi is accused of paying Karima el-Mahroug for sex when she was 17 and also for abuse of power for trying to help her get out of trouble when she was arrested for shoplifting by calling law enforcement and lying that she was the niece of then-Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak. The abuse of power charge is the most serious of the two charges, carrying a maximum prison term of 12 years. Clooney, who maintains a home in Italy, was quoted as being surprised that he is being called as a witness. “”It’s very strange,” Clooney said according to a statement from his agent released to the Milan daily Corriere della Sera. “I have met Berlusconi only once, and even then it was only to solicit his help for Darfur.“

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