Will George Clooney Testify at Italian Prime Minster's Sex Trial?

By Sara Hammel and Elizabeth Leonard

03/29/2011 at 06:35 PM EDT

George Clooney has been named a witness in the sensational, high-profile prostitution trial of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi

But before Clooney is asked any questions by the lawyers, he has one of his own: Why me?

"It seems odd since I've only met Berlusconi once and that was in an attempt to get aid into Darfur," he tells PEOPLE in a statement.

In a case generating international headlines, Berlusconi, 74, is accused of paying for sex with a 17-year-old Moroccan girl called Ruby, then trying to use his power to cover it up.



He has denied the charges. The trial is set to begin on April 6 in Milan.

According to the Associated Press, Clooney, who has a villa on Lake Como, Italy, was on a list of witnesses presented Tuesday because the actor was reportedly seen – along with his Italian girlfriend Elisabetta Canalis – at one of Berlusconi's parties.