One of the biggest items on Berlusconi's shopping list happened to be a rented castle that overlooks the sea near the resort of Portofino on the Italian Riviera, for 675,000 euros, The Daily Telegraph reports.
The 74-year-old Italian leader spent 900,000 euros on gas, water and electricity bills for his home in the tax haven of Antigua, an island in West Indies. He spent 65,000 euros on jewellery, according to details from a bank account examined during a probe into his alleged payment of an underage prostitute for sex. But he has denied any wrongdoing.
The Italian prime minister splashed out almost as much as 650,000 euros during his spending sprees in art galleries and antique shops, the report adds. The fortunate recipients of his largesse included a disc jockey, who was paid 100,000 euros, and Angela Sozio, a former Big Brother contestant, who allegedly received the same amount.
According to details of the bank account published by an Italian daily Corriere della Sera, he gave 562,000 euros to 14 young women last year and spent nearly half a million euros on helicopter flights.
Niccolo Ghedini, one of Berlusconi's lawyers, said the publication of the payments was "a clear violation of privacy". Berlusconi's estimated fortune of 4.5 to 7 billion pounds makes him Italy's third richest person.
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