Just as the controversy over Silvio Berlusconi impending divorce looked as if it might be receding, it has been given new life on the web by claims that key photographs released by his office are doctored.
The images show the 18th birthday party of an aspiring actress and model, Noemi Letizia. Berlusconi's surprise appearance at the celebration was among the factors that prompted his wife, Veronica Lario, to begin divorce proceedings, declaring she could no longer stay with a man "who frequents minors".
In an apparent effort to show what an innocent occasion it was, the prime minister's office released a set of pictures taken by his photographer. They are due to appear in the gossip magazine Chi, and a video containing them was released by one of Berlusconi's own television channels.
But Italian-language blogs and forums were today alive with doubts as to their authenticity. La Repubblica's website said Berlusconi's image appeared to have been pasted into at least three of the photographs. Other grounds for suspicion:
In one snap, there is an odd-looking giant hand on Berlusconi's left shoulder.
In some of the photographs, the prime minister appears to be taller than in real life.
There is a difference between two versions of a photograph in which Berlusconi joins the Letizia family in a toast. He is reflected in the mirror behind in the video stills, but not in the magazine photographs. Noemi herself is incongruously wearing a veil, clearly visible in the reflection.
What no one has so far offered is a convincing explanation of why Berlusconi or his office would want to put him at a party that is at the centre of his marital woes.