ROME (Reuters) - The Moroccan-born woman at the centre of a major sex scandal and trial involving former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi had a baby Tuesday by her nightclub-owner boyfriend.

Karima El Mahroug, 19, known widely by her stage name of Ruby the Heart Stealer, gave birth to a girl called Sofia at a clinic in Genoa.

She told Sky Italia television she hoped her daughter would have "a serene and tranquil life with her family and with much love." The father is 42-year-old Luca Risso, who owns two nightclubs in the northwestern Italian city.

Berlusconi is on trial in Milan on charges he paid El Mahroug for sex in 2010 when she was 17 and legally underage and then abused his office by getting her released from police custody after she had been arrested for theft.

The so-called Rubygate scandal is part of allegations that Berlusconi held orgies in his Milan villa involving dozens of starlets and prostitutes, which badly damaged his once-buoyant popularity.

Both El Mahroug and Berlusconi deny they had sex.

The former premier, 75, faces two other trials for fraud and corruption.

He was forced from power in November after his repeated failure to pass tough austerity measures led to a collapse in market confidence in Italy and pushed its borrowing costs to untenable levels.

He was replaced by former European Commissioner Mario Monti at the head of an unelected technocrat government which is now pushing through a sweeping program of cost cuts and tax increases.

(Reporting by Barry Moody; Editing by Alison Williams)

Related Story:
Factbox - Congo's record of instability

Copyright © 2013 Reuters

• RHB Research maintains "Neutral" on auto sector
• Kulim Malaysia offers RM812.3m for another 20% stake in NBPOL (Update)
• RHB Research maintains "Neutral" on IHH Healthcare
• Sumatec up ahead of meeting on O&G asset buy plan
• Ringgit falls to 1-yr low at 3.2010 versus US dollar
• Malaysia's KLCI falls nearly 10 points in early trade
• Malaysian equities to face selling pressure on Thursday
• Public Invest Research: TSH Resources becoming big cap plantation company
• US stocks down after Bernanke hints at slowing stimulus
• Assore - Assmang approves ferromanganese joint venture in Malaysia
• CIMB Research ups MY EG target price to RM1.74
• Malaysia-Market factors to watch on June 20(Thursday)
• Kulim to take another 20% stake in New Britain Palm Oil Ltd (Update)
• Nusa Gapurna rejects PKNS offer to up stake in PJ Sentral
• AirAsia wants no further delays in opening of new low-cost terminal KLIA2

• Assange says WikiLeaks assisting Snowden asylum bid
• Kim Dotcom slams Megaupload 'data massacre'
• Study: Jordan teens still 'honour killings' justified

• Paul Revington is glad to be back to train the Malaysian team
• Heavy task on Faizal’s shoulders
• Singapore Open: Chong Wei Feng fights to survive
• Rachel owes her rich vein of form to change in technique
• Future looks gloomy for men’s squash when Beng Hee calls it a day
• Gavin Green confident he can take on title-holders this weekend
• Zhang switches focus on developing golf in China
• Thaworn hopes to find his ‘A’ game in Selangor Masters
• Khairy: RM8mil to be forked out for Sukma due to lack of sponsorship
• A chance for local cyclists to shine
• Rahul survives weekend of harsh hurdles in Norfolk
• MGF set wheels in motion to unearth young talents
• Steady as Jie goes
• Ferrer loses title after opening round loss
• Heat edge Spurs in overtime to force Game 7 in NBA Finals

• Please wait.

• Use of psychometrics assessment for employees can be controversial
• It’s Honda Accord now for ministers
• Singapore's air turns "hazardous" as Indonesian fires rage
• Nightmare over topless pictures
• Chieftains handing out dubious titles
• Striptease queen married five times in search of true love, says author
• ‘Body buried 13 storeys deep’
• MCMC offers free money to small businesses, few takers
• China’s Comtec to build one of world’s largest solar wafer making plants in Kuching for RM1.2bil
• Sumatec shareholders to vote on Kazakhstan oil and gas asset buy