Italian PM to stand trial

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi faced a potentially fatal challenge to his power Tuesday when a judge ordered him to stand trial on on a charge that he paid an underage girl for sex and abuse of power.

Berlusconi is going on trial April 6 in Milan on charges that he paid for sex with a 17-year-old girl and then tried to cover it up. Berlusconi has been in court for a number of business-related charges, but this is the first time the 74-year-old billionaire businessman is being tried for personal conduct.

The premier has called the accusations "groundless" and dismissed the case as a "farce", accusing prosecutors of seeking to oust him from power.

Judge Cristina Di Censo handed down the indictment with a terse statement that showed she believes there is sufficient evidence to subject Berlusconi to an immediate trial, as prosecutors had requested. The speeded-up procedure, which is ordered in cases of overwhelming evidence, skips a preliminary hearing.

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