3 Berlusconi associates found guilty of procuring prostitutes

Three of former Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi's associates have been found guilty of acquiring under-aged prostitutes for his controversial "bunga bunga" parties.

The three allies- Emilio Fede, Lele Mora and Nicole Minetti- were sentenced to between five and seven years in jail by a court in Milan, the BBC reported.

Last month, Berlusconi was given seven years in jail for paying for sex with 17-year-old Karima El Mahroug.

Berlusconi, who is appealing against the earlier ruling, which also banned him from public office, insisted that the alleged sex parties were actually dinners where female guests performed "burlesque" dancing.

The three convicted in the current trial deny the charges and are likely to appeal.

According to the prosecution, the three used to examine the young women and then introduce them to Berlusconi's soirees at his mansion near Milan.

It was told to the court that although the evenings would begin with dinner, they become increasingly sexually charged.