Berlusconi: Sex trial aims to discredit my govt.

MILAN (AP) — Italian prosecutors demanded today that Premier Silvio Berlusconi be put on immediate trial over accusations he paid for sex with a 17-year-old Moroccan girl and used his influence to try to cover it up.

The Italian leader blasted the "disgusting" action, saying it aimed to topple his government.

The prosecutors, who filed their request in Milan, are seeking a trial now because they believe there is overwhelming evidence against the 74-year-old leader.

A judge must decide whether to accept the prosecutors' request and indict Berlusconi, or dismiss it. The decision is expected to be made in the next two weeks.

Berlusconi has a long history of legal woes and fierce battles with the Italian judiciary, which he accuses of being politically motivated against him. But this is the first judicial action that targets his private life and not his business dealings as a media mogul, raising new questions over how long he can hold on to power.

The case centers on his relationship with the Moroccan nightclub dancer nicknamed Ruby. Italian newspapers have been filled for weeks with salacious details about Berlusconi's parties at his villas, based on wiretaps of conversations between women who attended them.