They denied paying the girls they spent evenings with in Milan's upscale clubs. And they reiterated that the young women they frequented during their "dazzling" nights enjoyed spending time with them, spending time with them. This is the gist of the testimonies given yesterday and today by Daniel Maldini, Atalanta striker and son of the historic AC Milan captain; Kevin Bonifazi, Bologna defender; and Riccardo Calafiori, Arsenal and Italy national team defender.

Summoned as witnesses by the Milan Prosecutor's Office, their accounts did not add anything to the picture already emerging from the investigation into an alleged prostitution ring centered on an event planning agency in Cinisello Balsamo. The agency offered an "all-inclusive" package to wealthy individuals, particularly Serie A footballers, willing to pay significant sums for dinner and after-dinner drinks with girls. However, the investigation, coordinated by prosecutor Rosaria Stagnaro and deputy prosecutor Bruna Albertini, did uncover a significant name: Alessandro Bastoni, a defender for Inter Milan and the Italian national team, who, as evidenced by the case file, allegedly had contact with a 17-year-and-eight-month-old girl in 2020.

In recent days, Bastoni received a summons to appear for child prostitution. However, he did not appear at this morning's face-to-face meeting: through his lawyer, Salvatore Scuto, he preferred to exercise his right to remain silent. After the first round of hearings, the two prosecutors are expected to review the investigation and then decide how to proceed, perhaps interviewing other footballers as well. Also relevant to determining how to proceed will be the chat messages contained on the cell phones seized from those arrested last April, from the suspects, and those handed over by the alleged escorts.

Among the phones and computer media to be examined, in addition to those of those who were active in finding clients to whom they could propose these special events, there are also those of Emanuele Buttini and Deborah Ronchi, life partners, he a surveyor and she a graduate in economics: they are believed to be the "promoters and masters" of a sort of system that revolved around Ma.De Milano and around "a hundred very young girls," both Italian and foreign, some "also available as escorts." The military of the Economic and Financial Police Unit are proceeding with the analysis of the chats, the results of which may provide clues for the next investigative steps. So far, the only player registered as under investigation is Bastoni: the WhatsApp messages exchanged with one of the company's handymen, at various points, have no other interpretation than the one hypothesized by the investigators and the detectives: they speak of a "minor" with whom she allegedly had a relationship that she, in her statement, denied.

(Unioneonline)

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