Tarantini

Giampaolo Tarantini, an entrepreneur from the southern city of Bari, and his wife Angela Devenuto were arrested after payments from Berlusconi totaling as much as half a million euros were uncovered by investigators, prosecutors said.

Arrests made over alleged Berlusconi extortion Reuters 2011

The prime minister told Italian news agencies on Thursday that the case was "pure fantasy," repeating previous statements that he had been simply helping Tarantini out of financial difficulties.

Arrests made over alleged Berlusconi extortion Reuters 2011

Prosecutors in Naples have been investigating whether former newspaper editor Valter Lavitola and a Bari businessman Giampaolo Tarantini, who procured prostitutes to attend the premier's soirees, extorted more than €500,000 $694,000 from Mr. Berlusconi in exchange for testimony favoring the premier.

Berlusconi Faces New Storm Stacy Meichtry 2011

Prosecutors said Tarantini and Lavitola, who appeared to have kept part of the money paid into front companies for himself, had acted together "to force Berlusconi to make further payments."

Arrests made over alleged Berlusconi extortion Reuters 2011

The premier told Panorama magazine that he made the payments because he wanted to help Mr. Tarantini and his family.

Berlusconi Faces New Storm Stacy Meichtry 2011

Mr. Tarantini, who has publicly said he paid the prostitutes, has not been charged in either investigation.

Berlusconi Faces New Storm Stacy Meichtry 2011

The premier "knew Mr. Tarantini was having economic difficulty" caused by a separate investigation by Bari prosecutors into whether the businessman recruited prostitutes for the premier, Mr. Diddi said.

Berlusconi Faces New Storm Stacy Meichtry 2011

Mr. Tarantini received €200,000 from Mr. Lavitola in payments made between September 2010 and July of this year, according to Mr. Tarantini's lawyer Alessandro Diddi.

Berlusconi Faces New Storm Stacy Meichtry 2011

According to Libero, Mr. Lavitola said he acted as a middleman between Mr. Berlusconi and Mr. Tarantini, the Bari businessman, delivering payments from the premier to Mr. Tarantini's family.

Berlusconi Faces New Storm Stacy Meichtry 2011

The arrests return the spotlight to a prostitution scandal which dominated headlines in 2009 when Patrizia D'Addario, an escort connected with Tarantini, claimed to have been paid to attend parties at Berlusconi's private residence in Rome.

Arrests made over alleged Berlusconi extortion Reuters 2011