Berlusconi dismisses calls to quit over sex probe

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi laughed off calls for him to resign over an investigation into allegations he paid for sex with young women, including a 17-year-old nightclub dancer.

"What, are you all mad?" Berlusconi said when asked if he would bow to calls from the opposition for his resignation.

"I'm absolutely calm, I'm enjoying myself."

Pressure on the prime minister grew after magistrates sent a report to parliament alleging that a "significant" number of young women prostituted themselves with Berlusconi at his homes.

"If the prime minister has a crumb of dignity he should resign and go before investigators to face the infamous charges," Dario Franceschini, parliamentary leader of the largest opposition party, the Democratic Party, told the lower house.

Franceschini, whose call was backed by other opposition parties, said Berlusconi should stop considering himself "above everything, even the law," and let judges decide his case because digging in his heels was hurting Italy's image abroad.

The conservative prime minister has seen off a series of sex scandals in recent years. But the latest comes at a difficult time as he no longer enjoys a secure parliamentary majority following a split with former ally Gianfranco Fini.

Berlusconi narrowly scraped through a confidence vote last month and last week Italy's top court struck down part of a law that gave him immunity from prosecution.

Italian media had a field day reporting leaked transcripts of phone conversations between some of the women who attended parties at Berlusconi's villa near Milan, described as "bunga bunga" parties in reference to lewd activity.

The investigation focuses on Karima El Mahroug, an 18-year-old Moroccan who attended Berlusconi's parties when she was 17 and, according to prosecutors, was paid to have sex with him. Having sex with a prostitute aged under 18 is an offence in Italy.

The transcripts, cited by Italian media, quote El Mahroug saying that she had asked Berlusconi for hush money and was told by the prime minister that she would receive "as much money as you want" if she kept quiet. In another reported conversation, one of the women refers to Berlusconi's residence as a "whore house."