boyfriend of an 18-year-old woman at the heart of a scandal involving Premier Silvio Berlusconi has apologized for having fueled speculation about a presumed relationship between the two. Italian daily Corriere della Sera on Sunday ran what it said was a letter from the ex-boyfriend, Gino Flaminio, in which he said there never could have been a sexual relationship between Berlusconi and Noemi Letizia “knowing Noemi and her values.” Last week, the left-leaning daily La Repubblica quoted Flaminio as saying Berlusconi had invited Letizia and several other young women to his Sardinian villa for a week over New Year's. He described what he said were phone calls between Berlusconi and Letizia that he listened in on, saying the premier asked her in one call about her schooling, her interests and what her parents do. The interview fueled speculation about a possible relationship between Letizia and the premier, particularly after Berlusconi's wife cited the premier's presence at Letizia's 18th birthday party in announcing a few weeks ago she was divorcing the 72-year-old. Flaminio didn't say he was misquoted by Repubblica in his letter to the rival publication Corriere, only that he felt used by people who wanted to hurt Berlusconi.
