ROME – Former Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi is savoring his court victory in the infamous "bunga-bunga" case and plunging ahead with politics, saying he's working for a better Italy, even though he remains barred from public office.
Late Tuesday, Italy's highest court confirmed Berlusconi's acquittal on charges he paid an underage Moroccan prostitute for sex and then used his influence to cover it up. The ruling closed an embarrassing chapter for the media mogul, exposing the raunchy parties at his Milan mansion, complete with showgirl strip-teases.
In a statement Wednesday, Berlusconi cheered the decision but expressed bitterness "for a case that did a lot of damage not just to me, my family and other innocent people, but to all Italians, our public life and the image of our country in the world."