SILVIO BERLUSCONI’S DEFENCE lawyers have added George Clooney and his Italian girlfriend, as well as footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, to their desired list of witnesses set to testify at the prime minister’s upcoming prostitution trial.

Berlusconi denies charges that he paid for sex with a 17-year-old Moroccan girl and using his influence to try to cover it up.

Lawyers from both the prosecution and defence sides were asked to submit their lists of witnesses the court earlier, ahead of the trial’s opening on April 6 – and the Hollywood actor and Real Madrid footballer both appear on the desired lists.

The ruling judges in the case will now decide which witnesses – of the 78 in total submitted by the two sides – to summon for testimony.

The law firm representing Berlusconi says Clooney was listed because the Moroccan teenager once said she had seen Clooney and his girlfriend, Elisabetta Canalis, at one of Berlusconi’s parties.

The Daily Mail’s Nick Pisa quoted Clooney as saying it seemed “odd” that he had been summoned, especially when he had only met Berlusconi on one occasion – as part of a humanitarian project seeking aid for Darfur.

There was no immediate indication as to why Ronaldo had been summoned as a witness, however.

Canalis, too, is reported to have denied attending the ‘bunga bunga’ parties.

Additional reporting by AP