Italy's prince placed under house arrest

ROME, June 23 (Reuters) Italy's Prince Victor Emmanuel, the son of Italy's last king, left his jail cell for house arrest today after spending a week behind bars over an investigation into prostitution and corruption, his lawyer said.

A judge allowed the move at the request of the 69-year-old prince, who lived in a former papal palace as a boy and spent his life among Switzerland's jet set.

His lawyer, Donatello Cimadomo, told Reuters the prince was released from a jail in the southern city of Potenza. He was expected to stay with his wife at their residence in Rome.

Investigators say Victor Emmanuel had contacts with the Mafia and was involved in procuring prostitutes for clients of a casino in Campione d'Italia, an Italian enclave on Lake Lugano near the Swiss border.

The prince denies any wrongdoing.

The investigation extends beyond Victor Emmanuel and includes a top aide of Italy's former foreign minister.

Transcripts of telephone conversations published in Italian newspapers revealed the prince and other people who have been arrested insulting national figures and talking about demanding money and sex in exchange for influence.

The scandal is jostling for attention in Italy with another major investigation: possible match-fixing in Italian soccer.

Italy's football prosecutor yesterday issued charges on Thursday against four top teams and 26 figures from Italian soccer including the former president of the Italian Football Federation, Franco Carraro.

REUTERS KD RS2257