Pavarotti didn't know how to write a cheque, says mistress
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Your support makes all the difference.Nicoletta Mantovani, the secretary who shot to fame through her affair with Luciano Pavarotti, has given an Italian court a remarkable glimpse of their private life.
Ms Mantovani was called as a defence witness last week in the trial of the opera star for evading millions of pounds-worth of tax between 1989 and 1995. The prosecution and defence are engaged in a mathematical and geographical battle, to prove where Pavarotti spent most of his time and cash. Ms Mantovani is an important piece in the jigsaw.
Dressed in a light tartan jacket over a black top and trousers, she told the court she first met Pavarotti while working as a hostess for a show-jumping competition he hosts.
"Within two weeks we had begun a relationship," she said. In the early stages they "went for long drives in the car" or met at the house of absent friends. When their affair became public and the paparazzi were on their trail, they sought refuge in Monte Carlo. After Pavarotti filed for divorce from his wife of 30 years, in 1995, the couple could go wherever they liked, but rarely came to Italy.
Ms Mantovani, who plays a key role in organising the Pavarotti and Friends benefit concerts, said the ageing tenor was so unworldly that he "did not know how to write a cheque".
She said that she had redecorated both of Pavarotti's residences, imposing minimal chic on their New York home but importing precious antiques and a custom-made bed into their Monte Carlo apartment "because there there is no risk of burglary".
The maestro appeared in person at the start of the trial to make a spontaneous declaration: "I thought tax cheats were people who made money in Italy and sent it abroad," he said. "I do the very opposite."
He has always argued that he is not liable for tax as his residence is an apartment in Monte Carlo and he pays taxes in the countries where he performs. The prosecution argues that the base of his musical empire, as well as a £3m estate – an equestrian complex and a seaside home – is on Italian soil.
The announcement that he was being prosecuted came as a shock. Last year, in a deal with the Finance Ministry, he agreed to pay back half of the contested sum, £8m, by instalments.
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