Silvio Berlusconi has ridiculed¹ claims by Italian prosecutors² that he paid 33 women for sex in a matter of months, saying he would need the stamina³ of a man one third his age to maintain such a private life.

意大利总理西尔维奥·卢斯科尼日前反驳了意检察官指控他几个月内与33名女郎发生性交易一事，宣称自己早已不是青壮年，无力如此放荡。

The Italian prime minister, who will stand trial on April 6 on charges of having sex with an under age prostitute and abuse of office, launched an angry defence against the accusations⁴（控告，指责） , contained in court documents which were released on Tuesday.

"I'm 74 years old and even though I may be a bit of a rascal⁵（不诚实的，下贱的） ... 33 girls in two months seems to me too much even for a 30 year old."

He condemned⁶ investigators⁷ for citing the women in their dossier（档案，卷宗） because "for the rest of their lives they will be branded with an indelible（难忘的） label – prostitute".

He claimed to have a long-standing "girlfriend", whom he did not identify, who he said would never have allowed him to behave in such a way.

"If I'd done everything they say I've done, she'd have gouged⁸ my eyes out. And I can tell you, she has very long finger nails."

He said he had paid for dentistry bills, university tuition fees and medical treatment on behalf of his female friends, but that he did so out of personal generosity⁹, seeking nothing in return. "I'm a walking charity," he said. "I'm happy to be able to do it."

He made the remarks to La Repubblica, a Left-leaning national newspaper that has repeatedly called for his resignation over the prostitution scandal.

Prosecutors have accused the 33 women of prostituting themselves for money, jewellery and other gifts with the billionaire tycoon¹⁰, who denies all the allegations.

They include the Moroccan-born teenage erotic（色情的） dancer at the heart of the scandal, Karima El Mahroug, now 18, better known by her stage name as Ruby¹¹ the Heart Stealer.

Prosecutors say the women took part in "bunga bunga" orgies at Mr Berlusconi's imposing¹²（壮观的，威风的） residence at Arcore, near Milan, involving "masks, stripteases and erotic dances" in which they "touched each other mutually or were touched in their intimate areas by Silvio Berlusconi."