Rome (CNN) -- Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said Monday he had never paid for sex, "not even once in my life," as Italian prosecutors investigate allegations that he had sex with a teenage prostitute.
"It is absurd only to think that I've paid to have rapport with a woman. It is something that I've never done, not even once in my life. It is something that I find degrading for my dignity," the scandal-prone but popular prime minister said on television.
Berlusconi is under investigation for allegedly having sex with the teenager, say prosecutors in Milan, who are linking the case to prostitution activity.
The teen, identified as nightclub dancer Karima El Mahrough and nicknamed Ruby, was 17 at the time of the alleged activity, from February till May.
She denied ever having sex with him in an interview recorded Saturday and broadcast Sunday. She also said she told everyone she was 24.
Berlusconi cited her denials in his own statement the next day.
"The underage person denies ever receiving advances from me and even less a sexual rapport with me, and she affirms that she introduced herself to everybody as a 24-year-old as so many witnesses say," Berlusconi said. CNN
