Here’s a round up of the scandal that threatens to bring down the 72 year old media mogul turned Prime Minister.

Silvio Berlusconi villa adds to scandal with ‘party girls, gifts and dancers’

The sprawling terracotta villa near Sardinia’s emerald sea has been the Italian Prime Minister’s favourite spot for years for entertaining world powerbrokers and relaxing with pretty girls. It boasts waterfalls, an artificial volcano and seven swimming pools.

Now the 120-hectare Villa Certosa is at the centre of allegations against Silvio Berlusconi, 72, that threaten to bring him down. His failure to give a coherent explanation of his relationship with Noemi Letizia, a teenage model, has inflamed a scandal that shows no signs of abating…

Anna Palumbo has confirmed allegations, made by Noemi’s former boyfriend, Gino Flaminio, that her daughter spent the festive period at Mr Berlusconi’s private residence, without her parents.

There she and her friend, Roberta, enjoyed the company of the Prime Minister, along with numerous guests, including about 30 women of a similar age….

… new reports claimed that Mr Berlusconi flew 50 young showgirls in private jets to Villa Certosa for a new year’s party, pampering them with jewelery and paying for shopping trips….

…Veronica Lario, Mr Berlusconi’s second wife, who castigated her husband for putting forward showgirls as MEP candidates. Ms Lario said that she wanted a divorce after it was revealed that her husband had been to Ms Letizia’s 18th birthday party and that she called him Papi. Mr Berlusconi and the Letizia family say that he has been a friend for more than ten years. He apparently contradicted this by saying that he met Ms Letizia at a fashion show. [read more]

‘Papi’ was codename for Silvio Berlusconi, women party guests say

Television presenters, actresses and showgirls who were regular guests at Silvio Berlusconi’s Sardinian villa have said that they called him Papi, or Daddy, as a codename in case their telephones were being tapped, according to the first accounts from guests at the infamous New Year party….

The prime minister is said to have used Italian aircraft to ferry guests to and from Villa Certosa, “almost every weekend” between the summer of 2007 and January of this year, El Pais reports.

Mr Berlusconi is being investigated for misuse of public funds, and confirmed on Thursday that he had been formally placed under investigation by prosecutors….

18-year-old model Noemi Letizia…. Mr Berlusconi has been under pressure to explain his relationship with Ms Letizia since his wife, Veronica Lario, said last month she was divorcing him after he had attended her 18th birthday party and gave her an expensive necklace. [read more]

Berlusconi’s naked Czech friend becomes the butt of jokes

Mirek Topolanek, the eccentric former Czech prime minister, is no stranger to problems with photographers. Last year he punched a Czech cameraman who took a picture of his sleeping baby. But this weekend he has found himself in an almost impossible struggle to protect his dignity, after being shown naked and in a state of arousal next to Silvio Berlusconi’s swimming pool.

The Italian prime minister had gained an injunction to prevent up to 700 photographs of private parties at his Sardinian villa appearing in the Italian media. But the decision by the Spanish paper El País to publish five images from May 2008 appears to have blown Topolanek’s cover, even though the paper pixelated the faces. After denying that any embarrassing photographs could exist of his visit last year to Sardinia, Topolanek admitted that he was the naked man standing beside an unidentified woman on a sun-lounger.

The Czech media had recognised his white rubber wristband - a sign of support for the anti-Castro movement in Cuba - given to Topolanek by George W Bush during a visit to the United States last year. “It is me in the photograph,” Topolanek said. “But it has been modified. The picture is not authentic. This is absolutely insolent interference in my privacy.” [read more]

Of course it was all rival media mogul Rupert Murdoch’s fault:

Silvio Berlusconi: The Times attacks me because I taxed Murdoch’s TV channels

The Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, accused the Times today of writing critical editorials about him because his government is in dispute with its owner, Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation.

Berlusconi blamed a series of articles in the Times on his government’s introduction of a 20% tax rate on pay TV firms last autumn, which affected Murdoch’s Sky Italia business.

In an interview on the Canale 5 TV channel, which he owns, Berlusconi said: “I don’t mean to be nasty but unfortunately with the episode on VAT for Sky there was a breakdown in relations with the Sky group and with Murdoch’s group, which has published a series of very critical articles attacking me.” [read more]

Billionaire Smackdown: Berlusconi Vs Murdoch

They’re at it again. Billionaire media moguls Silvio Berlusconi and Rupert Murdoch are feuding, as Berlusconi has blamed the brouhaha over his divorce and alleged affairs with underage women on “foreign newspapers which are critical [and] are inspired by certain Italian dailies which are owned by someone opposed to the Mediaset group.” Asked if he meant Murdoch, Berlusconi said “exactly.” The Daily Beast examines the long history between these two former friends. [read more]

Ut oh, it looks like Obama also wants to party with the Prime Minister:

Obama to host Berlusconi at White House

President Barack Obama will host Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on June 15, the White House said Saturday, as the Italian leader is shadowed by scandal back home.

“The president looks forward to discussing preparations for the G8 Summit that will take place in L’Aquila, Italy in July, and consulting with the prime minister on a broad range of strategic issues of mutual concern,” the White House said in a statement. [read more]