By . Nick Pisa . UPDATED: . 05:42 EST, 24 October 2011 . Devout: Mr Berlusconi claims he is a religious man who 'never took part in parties' at his villa . Controversial prime minister Silvio Berlusconi today insisted he was a religious man and that his infamous 'bunga bunga' parties were a figment of 'porn obsessed judges'. Berlusconi, 75, also said that 'bunga bunga' was 'nothing more than a dance' and added that 'he had never taken part' in parties held at his house where prosecutors say dozens of women were recruited and were paid for sex. The politician is accused of having sex with an underage prostitute at one of the parties where women were also said to have dressed as nuns, before performing raunchy stripteases and pole dances - allegedly rubbing crucifixes between their breasts. However media tycoon Berlusconi insisted the parties at his home in Arcore near Milan were nothing more than elegant dinners and he was a victim of left leaning prosecutors who were out to get him and oust him from power. He said: 'There was no sacrilegious behaviour at my house. This has all been invented by porn-obsessed prosecutors. 'It's all the work of the fevered imagination of prosecutors and journalists. 'My religious life is not just a . church in my home at Arcore where my family has celebrated baptisms, . marriages and funerals and the prayers of eight aunts who are nuns. Nightclub dancer Karima El Mahroug (left) and escort girl Patrizia D'Addario have been named in connection with sex parties allegedly held by Berlusconi . 'My . roots are strengthened by my Christian and human values that have been . with me since I grew up with my family and attended a school run by . Salesians (monks) and which I have passed on to my children'. Berlusconi's . private life has drawn criticism from the Catholic Church and he added: . 'These are precious values which for me are not negotiable. 'Can you imagine if I would allow any sort of blasphemous behaviour in my house ?' Berlusconi also insisted the words 'bunga bunga' which have entered global phraseology, refer to dancing that took place at his parties. He said: 'When one of my guests said "Are we going to have some bunga bunga after dinner?" they were just talking about dancing. I never took part because I have vowed never to dance. Sabina Began, said to the 'queen bee' of Berlusconi's girls, allegedly recruited three women for a party he hosted in Rome . 'I have not smoked since I managed to . save my first business adventure from an inglorious ending and I don't . gamble since I risked making a fool of myself with a professional card . player and I don't dance since I promised a friend who was dying, that . if they lived I would not dance again'. Berlusconi spoke out just hours ahead of the resumption of his corruption trial in Milan in which he is accused of paying David Mills, the estranged husband of former Labour Cabinet Minister Tessa Jowell, $600,000 in return for giving favourable evidence in previous trials. Company lawyer Mr Mills will give his evidence via video link in London . and Berlusconi has already confirmed he will attend the hearing and may . even speak out insisting that he has 'never met Mills in my life'. 'PM's girls': Sara Tommasi, left, and Barbara Guerra, right, have been . named by investigators as being among those who attended Berlusconi's . private parties . Monday's trial and the sex case are just two of four hearings that . Berlusconi is currently involved in and he has insisted he will clear . his name, adding that he is 'not afraid to face justice in the . courtroom'. Besides being accused of having underage sex with Karima El Mahroug, who was then 17, . Berlusconi is charged with abusing his position as prime minister by . securing the Moroccan born belly dancer's release from custody when she . was arrested in May 2010 for theft. Berlusconi was due to fly straight to Milan from Sunday's European Union . meeting in Brussels to discuss the ongoing Eurozone crisis.
Italian PM claims: ‘I never took part in parties at my Arcore villa’
‘I am a religious man,' he says ahead of trial resumption .
… ‘and besides “Bunga  Bunga” is nothing more than a dance’
By . Nick Pisa . UPDATED: . 05:42 EST, 24 October 2011 . Devout: Mr Berlusconi claims he is a religious man who 'never took part in parties' at his villa . Controversial prime minister Silvio Berlusconi today insisted he was a religious man and that his infamous 'bunga bunga' parties were a figment of 'porn obsessed judges'. Berlusconi, 75, also said that 'bunga bunga' was 'nothing more than a dance' and added that 'he had never taken part' in parties held at his house where prosecutors say dozens of women were recruited and were paid for sex. The politician is accused of having sex with an underage prostitute at one of the parties where women were also said to have dressed as nuns, before performing raunchy stripteases and pole dances - allegedly rubbing crucifixes between their breasts. However media tycoon Berlusconi insisted the parties at his home in Arcore near Milan were nothing more than elegant dinners and he was a victim of left leaning prosecutors who were out to get him and oust him from power. He said: 'There was no sacrilegious behaviour at my house. This has all been invented by porn-obsessed prosecutors. 'It's all the work of the fevered imagination of prosecutors and journalists. 'My religious life is not just a . church in my home at Arcore where my family has celebrated baptisms, . marriages and funerals and the prayers of eight aunts who are nuns. Nightclub dancer Karima El Mahroug (left) and escort girl Patrizia D'Addario have been named in connection with sex parties allegedly held by Berlusconi . 'My . roots are strengthened by my Christian and human values that have been . with me since I grew up with my family and attended a school run by . Salesians (monks) and which I have passed on to my children'. Berlusconi's . private life has drawn criticism from the Catholic Church and he added: . 'These are precious values which for me are not negotiable. 'Can you imagine if I would allow any sort of blasphemous behaviour in my house ?' Berlusconi also insisted the words 'bunga bunga' which have entered global phraseology, refer to dancing that took place at his parties. He said: 'When one of my guests said "Are we going to have some bunga bunga after dinner?" they were just talking about dancing. I never took part because I have vowed never to dance. Sabina Began, said to the 'queen bee' of Berlusconi's girls, allegedly recruited three women for a party he hosted in Rome . 'I have not smoked since I managed to . save my first business adventure from an inglorious ending and I don't . gamble since I risked making a fool of myself with a professional card . player and I don't dance since I promised a friend who was dying, that . if they lived I would not dance again'. Berlusconi spoke out just hours ahead of the resumption of his corruption trial in Milan in which he is accused of paying David Mills, the estranged husband of former Labour Cabinet Minister Tessa Jowell, $600,000 in return for giving favourable evidence in previous trials. Company lawyer Mr Mills will give his evidence via video link in London . and Berlusconi has already confirmed he will attend the hearing and may . even speak out insisting that he has 'never met Mills in my life'. 'PM's girls': Sara Tommasi, left, and Barbara Guerra, right, have been . named by investigators as being among those who attended Berlusconi's . private parties . Monday's trial and the sex case are just two of four hearings that . Berlusconi is currently involved in and he has insisted he will clear . his name, adding that he is 'not afraid to face justice in the . courtroom'. Besides being accused of having underage sex with Karima El Mahroug, who was then 17, . Berlusconi is charged with abusing his position as prime minister by . securing the Moroccan born belly dancer's release from custody when she . was arrested in May 2010 for theft. Berlusconi was due to fly straight to Milan from Sunday's European Union . meeting in Brussels to discuss the ongoing Eurozone crisis.
religious man who 'never took part in parties' at more than a dance' and added that 'he had never home in Arcore near Milan were nothing more than resumption of his corruption trial in Milan in