Rome, 27 October(AKI) - Lazio governor Piero Marrazzo may not be the only politician who is being blackmailed over his sex life, according to Rome prosecutors. They believe at least two other politicians who allegedly frequented transsexual prostitutes may have been victims of blackmail.

The prosecutors have already questioned dozens of transsexual prostitutes in Rome who claim Marrazzo was far from being their only 'VIP' customer, said Italian daily La Repubblica. These include politicians, lawyers, footballers, businessmen, and journalists, the prostitutes have said.

However, none of these alleged clients were named in news reports.

Marrazzo suspended himself from his post on Saturday after a video emerged that apparently showed him with a transsexual prostitute. The video was allegedly shot by four policemen arrested last week for trying to extort up to 80,000 euros from Marrazzo to keep the video secret.

Marrazzo has said he paid 5,000 euros to the transsexual prostitute, whom he in early August encountered in a Rome apartment. The fee Marrazzo paid is far above the average price of 200 euros per encounter, said La Repubblica.

Prosecutors suspect that Marrazzo also paid for cocaine, a line of which can allegedly be seen beside the bed in the video. Marrazzo claims police stole the 5,000 euros when they burst into the apartment and shot the video.

Marrazzo is also due to be questioned by prosecutors about his alleged use of government vehicles and drivers on his visits to the transsexual prostitutes, some of whom have claimed he left his driver waiting through the night during his encounters.

Doctors have certified that 51-year-old Marrazzo is suffering from acute "psycho-physical stress" and cannot resume his duties for 30 days.

Marrazzo, who is married with three children has admitted to "a weakness in my private life and said he made "a terrible, terrible mistake" in not reporting his blackmailers to police.

He was on Tuesday reported to have checked into a religious institute in the Rome area "for several days' rest and reflection."

The ruling centre-right has called for Marrazzo's resignation and a snap regional polls, hoping to make electoral gains amid the turmoil into which the affair has thrown Italy's centre-left opposition. Marrazzo was once tipped as a future leader of the centre-left Democratic Party.

Last Friday, he at first strongly denied the claims of the existence of a video, saying it was a smear campaign against him ahead of regional elections due to take place next year.

However, he was forced 'suspend' himself from his duties as president of the Lazio region after reports about another, longer video of him surfaced, involving the use of cocaine.