Rome ? Premier Silvio Berlusconi is fighting back in a scandal feeding on his fondness for young women, with his lawyer acknowledging Saturday the media mogul has moved to block publication of hundreds of photos taken of guests at his sumptuous Sardinian villa.

State television reported that among the photos were some taken last New Year’s Eve, with the guests including an 18-year-old Neapolitan woman at the heart of the political and personal scandal.

The 72-year-old Berlusconi’s wife, Veronica Lario, announced a few weeks ago that she was seeking a divorce, in part because of what she lamented was her husband’s infatuation with young women.