The mysterious death of a former model has come back to haunt Silvio Berlusconi, the former Italian prime minister whose “bunga bunga” orgy parties triggered a sensational scandal that enveloped him with legal problems that have yet to end.
One of the young women who attended the bunga bunga parties, Moroccan-born Imane Fadil, died in a hospital in Milan on March 1 after telling her lawyer and her friends that she might have been poisoned. The 33-year-old was taken to hospital in late January, when she complained of stomach pains.
Milan investigators delayed sharing the news of her death until Friday to ensure that no one would tamper with her toxicology reports. Milan’s chief prosecutor, Francesco Greco, said Ms. Fadil had shown “symptoms of poisoning,” according to the Italian news agency Ansa. He has opened an investigation into her possible murder.
The initial toxicology reports into Ms. Fadil’s death came on March 6. Corriere della Sera, one of Italy’s leading newspapers, said the report suggested the presence of “a mixture of radioactive substances which are not normally available for purchase.” The paper did not identify its sources.
The latest development is creating a sensation in Italy and is certain to dominate airwaves and newspapers in the coming days, at a moment when Mr. Berlusconi is seeking to rehabilitate his political career. The cause of Ms. Fadil’s death should be released later this week, after the results of her autopsy are known.
When asked by Italy’s La Repubblica newspaper whether she thought Ms. Fadil had been murdered, Souad Sbai, a former member of parliament who is the president of the Association of Moroccan Women in Italy, said: “Absolutely.”
But she expressed doubts that Mr. Berlusconi could in any way be responsible. In a tweet, she said: “Responsibilities are to be found elsewhere, in certain high ‘diplomacy.’” She has not elaborated on her accusation.
Ms. Fadil was one of several women who testified in the court case against Mr. Berlusconi in 2012, the year after the deep Italian financial crisis ended his career as prime minister (he remains head of the Forza Italia party and said he may run in the European Parliament elections in May). Mr. Berlusconi, now 82, was charged with having sex with an underage Moroccan runaway, Karima el-Mahroug – known as Ruby the Heart Stealer – who was 17 when she attended the parties at his mansion near Milan. He was also charged with putting pressure on the police to hush up the case.
Ms. Fadil, then 27, told the court that the bunga bunga parties were soaked in sexual depravity. She said she watched as two women wearing nuns’ habits and crucifixes performed pole dances while stripping to their underwear. She said that Mr. Berlusconi at one point took her aside and handed her earrings, a watch and €2,000 in an envelope. “Don’t be offended,” she said he told her, “but I know you women are always in need.”
Over the weekend, Mr. Berlusconi denied having had any relationship with Ms. Fadil. “I never met this person, never talked to her,” he told Italian media. “What I read of her statements made me think that everything was invented, absurd.”
Mr. Berlusconi was convicted in the underage-sex case, then acquitted on appeal. In a separate case, he was convicted of tax fraud and sentenced to community service. Charges in connection with witness tampering – allegedly making payoffs to cover up the bunga bunga parties – remain outstanding.
Ms. Fadil last gave court evidence against Mr. Berlusconi in January. She said she was writing a book about her experiences with Mr. Berlusconi and his party lifestyle. “I have always told the truth and I’ve rejected many attempts to corrupt me by Berlusconi and his entourage,” she said. “I have suffered a great deal compared to those who let themselves be paid off.”