PERUGIA, Italy, Sept 24 (Reuters) - A former close associate of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi will stand trial in a high-profile corruption case involving several people linked to Italy&${esc.hash}39;s ruling group, an Italian judge decided on Saturday.
Guido Bertolaso, a close Berlusconi aide when he was head of the civil protection agency, will stand trial along with 17 others following a probe into how lucrative public works contracts were awarded.
The investigation has exposed a web of irregularities, graft and alleged sexual favours surrounding big contracts awarded by the civil protection agency, including the original site of the 2009 Group of Eight (G8) Summit.
Leaked phone transcripts allege that Bertolaso helped a businessman win contracts in return for money and the services of prostitutes. Bertolaso has denied the allegations.
The number of people implicated in the probe has drawn comparisons with the Bribesville scandal which wiped out an entire generation of Italian politicians in the 1990s.
Building entrepreneur Diego Anemone and the former chief of Italy&${esc.hash}39;s public works council, Alberto Balducci, will also stand trial. The first hearing is scheduled in April.
(Reporting By Maurizio Troccoli, writing by Catherine Hornby, editing by Tim Pearce)
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