On 24 June , the Court of First Instance sentenced Berlusconi to seven years in prison, and banned him from public office for life. On 27 May , El Mahroug was arrested by the police in Milan after being accused of the theft of three thousand euros. Since she was not carrying any legal or identification documents , the officers took her to the local police headquarters to identify her and for questioning. Since she was a minor under eighteen , a judge ordered the police to direct her to a shelter for juvenile offenders.
After a couple of hours, while she was being questioned, Berlusconi, who was at the time in Paris, called the head of the police in Milan and pressured for her release, claiming the girl was the niece of then President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and that in order to avoid a diplomatic crisis, she was to be brought to the custody of Nicole Minetti. Following repeated telephone calls by Berlusconi to the police authorities, El Mahroug was eventually released and entrusted to Minetti's care.
Minetti was known for previous associations with Berlusconi, having danced for Colorado Cafe , a show on one of Berlusconi's TV channels , and on Scorie , an Italian version of Candid Camera. In November she became a dental hygienist, and shortly afterward treated Berlusconi for two broken teeth and facial injuries after he was attacked with a marble statue at a political rally.
Mahroug insisted that she had not slept with the then year-old prime minister. She told Italian newspapers that she merely attended dinner at his mansion near Milan. She said he also gave her jewelry. In January , Berlusconi was placed under criminal investigation relating to El Mahroug for allegedly having sex with an underage prostitute and for abuse of office relating to her release from detention.
The Telegraph reported on 6 March that prosecutors were days from requesting charges against Emilio Fede , a television anchorman, and Lele Mora, a well-known celebrity agent, for procuring underage girls in a "vast pimping network" to attend " bunga bunga " sex parties with the prime minister. According to the prosecutors' dossier, Fede 'discovered' El Mahroug when acting as a judge at a beauty pageant in Sicily in September , and passed her on to Mora's office in central Milan , which served as a "form of 'clearing centre' for women eager to enter the prime minister's circle in pursuit of money, gifts and help with their show business careers".
