Prosecutor: P.M. won't be charged

BARI, Italy, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- Silvio Berlusconi will not be charged following the investigation of a businessman who allegedly procured prostitutes for him, an Italian prosecutor said.

Antonio Laudi, a prosecutor in Bari, is heading an investigation of Gianpaolo Tarantini. In leaked testimony published Wednesday, Tarantini admitted paying women to spend the night with the prime minister but said Berlusconi was not aware of this, the Italian news agency ANSA reported.

''It's quite clear from what the papers have published that Premier Silvio Berlusconi is utterly clear of any criminal responsibility,'' Laudi said Thursday.

Berlusconi, after a meeting last week with Spanish Prime Minister Jose Zapatero, told a reporter who asked about the escort scandal that he is "jealous."