ROME — Premier Silvio Berlusconi’s estranged wife is seeking $65 million a year in alimony in a divorce case she launched after her husband was embroiled in a sex scandal, a bid that was immediately rejected by the billionaire media mogul, an Italian newspaper reported Thursday.
Veronica Lario’s lawyer, Maria Cristina Morelli, declined to comment on the report in Corriere della Sera. Couples in Italy must be legally separated before divorce can be granted.
Corriere della Sera, citing what it said were “informed sources,” said Berlusconi, Italy’s second-richest man, made a counteroffer of $300,000 monthly and indicated willingness to go up to $450,000 monthly.
Berlusconi, 73, is listed by Forbes magazine as the 70th-richest person in the world, worth $6.5 billion. Lario, a 52-year-old former actress, said earlier this year that she was fed up with Berlusconi’s infatuation with young women.
