Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who is facing charges of having sex with an underage prostitute and abuse of office, has sought to ridicule the accusations of Italian prosecution.

Berlusconi will stand trial on April 6, and has promised to attend all hearings. Prosecutors have accused the 33 women of prostituting themselves for money, jewelry and other gifts with the Italian tycoon prime minister.

In his words, what is described by the prosecution as orgies at his mansion at Arcore, near Milan, were "private dinners".

"I'm 74 years old and even though I may be a bit of a rascal ... 33 girls in two months seems to me too much even for a 30 year old," he told the leftist opposition newspaper La Repubblica with respect to the charges raised against him.

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 gouged my eyes out. And I can tell you, she has very long finger nails," Berlusconi continued.

He admitted having paid for medical treatment and university enrollment for the women in question but claimed that he did that as a charity, without expecting anything in return.

"I'm a walking charity. I'm happy to be able to do it," the Italian PM declared.

The prostitutes he allegedly slept with include the Moroccan-born teenage erotic dancer at the heart of the scandal, Karima El Mahroug, now 18, also known as Ruby the Heart Stealer.

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