Italy's prime minister has hit out at attempts to try him on sex charges, calling them "disgusting and disgraceful."

Prosecutors have filed a request to bring Silvio Berlusconi to trial immediately on charges of paying for sex with an under aged girl and improperly pressuring police to release her from custody.

Their application suggests they have enough evidence in the case to skip a preliminary hearing.

Speaking at a news conference following a cabinet meeting, the 74-year-old Berlusconi told reporters that the accusations against him were false.

"I have attained every goal and I am a rich man who can spend the rest of his life building children's hospitals, which is what I have always wanted to do... It is just an embarrassment, it is disgusting and shameful," he said.