Italian PM’s wife seeks 43 mn euros a year in divorce

Rome, Nov 26 (IANS/AKI) The wife of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, Veronica Lario, is reported to be seeking 43 million euros a year in divorce proceedings.

Lario, a former actress, announced her intention to divorce Berlusconi in May, after reports surfaced about his friendship with Noemi Letizia, the 18-year-old Naples lingerie model.

According to the Italian daily Corriere della Sera, Lario is seeking more than 3.5 million euros a month to maintain the lifestyle the couple shared prior to their separation.

Berlusconi has reportedly offered Lario, with whom he has three children, 200,000 euros a month.

Informed sources have said that Berlusconi considered his wife’s demand “exorbitant” and has offered between 200,000 and 300,000 euros a month.

Maria Cristina Morelli, Lario’s lawyer, declined to speak about the case to the media.

Berlusconi is believed to be worth up to eight billion euros and is one of Italy’s richest individuals.

He had hoped for a consensual divorce settlement and wanted to avoid legal conflict over the division of his wealth between his three children with Lario and the two children from his first marriage.

Berlusconi was facing fresh pressure about his private life this week after a prostitute published new revelations about the night she allegedly spent with the prime minister at his official Rome residence in November 2008.

In her book entitled “Gradisca Presidente” (or “Take your Pleasure President”) Tuesday, D’Addario discussed in graphic detail the night she spent with the premier.

The 73-year-old has said that he has never paid a woman for sex and preferred the pleasure of the ‘conquest’.

He has also denied any liaison with Letizia or any underage girl.

Under Italian law, couples can divorce after three years of separation.

Larios decision to take her husband to court means he may be forced to explain his alleged relationships with other women including showgirls and models.

–IANS/AKI