Smash hit

In an interview with the newspaper Il Giornale yesterday, Tarantini apologised to Berlusconi and said he had no idea D’Addario was a prostitute. He took beautiful women to Berlusconi’s parties only “to look good”, paying no more than their expenses, he added.

The scandal is an embarrassment to Berlusconi as he prepares for the G8 summit on July 8-10. The revelations about his private life have weakened his political position in Italy and although there is no immediate threat, allies in his centre-right coalition are privately daring to contemplate a “post-Berlusconi” era.

Insiders say Gianni Letta, Berlusconi’s undersecretary and key lieutenant, has distanced himself from the prime minister and has for several months declined his invitations to dinner.

“Berlusconi has turned into the opposite of King Midas: he dirties everything he touches,” a disaffected associate said.

The disclosures have prompted a rare public show of disapproval from within the Catholic church, with Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, head of the Italian bishops’ conference, admonishing in a homily: “Beware of the man who, inebriated by his desire for greatness, deludes himself into thinking he can be omnipotent and twists moral values.”

Aides to the prime minister say he is focusing on presenting a “can-do” image at the G8 and has drawn comfort from leaders, including Nicolas Sarkozy, who have agreed to tour the earthquake-hit city of L’Aquila with him.

James Walston, a professor of international relations at the American University in Rome, believes that Berlusconi will survive in office.

“Italians don’t really care about his private life — what matters to them is whether he gets the economy going again,” Walston said.

“But the body language at the G8 photocall will be pretty interesting: the other leaders will take one look at him and step back, as if he’s got a big wart on his face. I really don’t expect Obama to let Berlusconi grab him by the shoulder and pose next to him with big grins on their faces. And if he invites leaders to his Sardinian villa, as he loves to do, they’ll say, ‘Thanks, but no thanks’.”

Deal Maker

Giampaolo Tarantini, the businessman at the centre of the scandal, used his friendship with Silvio Berlusconi to obtain access to the prime minister’s brother and a junior minister for a client of his lobbying firm, prosecutors suspect.

After setting up CG Consulting, an events and public relations company, last November, he obtained a £128,000-a-year contract from Enrico Intini, chairman of a company involved in environmental protection.

According to Intini, Tarantini secured two meetings for him with Berlusconi’s brother Paolo, owner of the Milan newspaper Il Giornale. Intini wanted help in testing some equipment in Lombardy and reportedly hoped that Paolo could influence local officials.

Tarantini also engineered a meeting for him with Guido Bertolaso, junior secretary for civil protection.

Tarantini denied that he had benefited from his relationship with Berlusconi. “I never talked with him about my companies,” he said.

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