He is also on trial accused of paying for sex with an underage prostitute.

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The three-time PM is embroiled in two trials, accused of tax fraud and sex with an underage prostitute.

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Former Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi has denied any "intimate ties" with an underage prostitute he is charged with.

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Mr Berlusconi is still contesting charges of tax fraud and sex with an underage prostitute, but recent opinion polls suggest his popularity has increased, giving him greater bargaining power.

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Mr Berlusconi is also currently on trial for allegedly paying for sex with an underage prostitute, and later abusing his powers by putting pressure on the police to release her from custody.

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Berlusconi is currently awaiting a verdict in a trial in which he stands accused of paying an underage prostitute for sex on more than 13 occasions and abusing his office to protect her in an unrelated crime.

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This week, the centre-right leader, who is also on trial for paying for sex with an underage prostitute and abusing his powers in office, was accused of bribing a senator to change sides in parliament in 2006.

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Two years later, magistrates in Milan said they were investigating whether Berlusconi paid for sex with an underage prostitute named Ruby the Heartbreaker, then used his power to spring her from jail in an unrelated incident in which she was picked up for theft.

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Despite his clashes with Italian justice over corruption charges, and the fact that he is still on trial for allegedly paying an underage prostitute for sex, Mr Berlusconi is using his considerable political skills to appeal to an electorate which has seen a draconian increase in taxes by the technocrat administration led by Mario Monti during 2012, our correspondent says.

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Beyond this suit, Berlusconi still faces charges for paying an underage Moroccan prostitute for sex, and then using his political influence to free her from detention.

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