Although he tried very hard to get out of it and although is he is not accused of any wrongdoing, Mariano Rajoy has testified in court this morning (Wednesday) making him the very first Spanish Prime Minister ever to do so.

His appearance is in relation to “The Gurtel Case”, Spain’s biggest ever corruption scandal, a trial that involves 37 defendants, including 3 former PP Treasurers, and over 300 witnesses, and one which involves the relationship between business and politics during Spain’s construction boom, which ended when the property bubble finally exploded in 2008.

Rajoy has been summoned because the affair centres round a former businessman, Francisco Correa, who liked to be called Don Vito, after a character in The Godfather, and who is considered to be the mastermind behind the bribes-for-contracts network, a large corruption scheme that has been affecting the PP since 2009.

Mariano Rajoy became leader of the Partido Popular in 2004 prior to which he held many senior positions in the party. During his appearance in court he insisted he had no friendly relations with Correa and “never dealt with party financial matters”.

The prosecution claims that during the pre-2008 property boom, companies gave former PP lawmakers and civil servants kickbacks in return for contracts.

Earlier in the year, Correa and two top aides were found guilty in connection with a section of the Gürtel case known as Fitur that involved embezzlement, influence peddling, bribery of public officials and conspiracy in the Valencia region. They were sentenced to prison terms of 13 years each.

Meanwhile, outside the court, over 30 protesters blew whistles and held placards demanding “Justice” and “Make the PP illegal”. </s> Police in Peru has arrested Keiko Fujimori, opposition leader and daughter of disgraced ex-president Alberto Fujimori, for alleged money laundering involving Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht, according to her lawyer.

The 43-year-old was arrested on the orders of prosecutors investigating suspect contributions to her election campaign, her lawyer Giuliana Loza said.

Fujimori was detained when she arrived at the state prosecutor's office to give evidence in the case, under Peru's Organized Crime Law, according to an official document seen by Reuters news agency.

She was placed in preventive detention for 10 days, said Loza, who described the arrest as "an outrage and an abuse".

Fujimori leads the powerful conservative opposition party, Popular Force, which has a majority in Congress and was key to helping topple former President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski in a corruption scandal in March.

At least 19 others have been arrested in the case linked to contributions to the Popular Force during Fujimori's 2011 presidential campaign.

"She has placed herself at the disposal of the prosecutor's office," Loza said on Wednesday.

Since June, prosecutors have been investigating allegations that three former presidents took bribes disguised as campaign funds from Odebrecht, which is at the centre of political scandals across Latin America.

Former presidents Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, Alan Garcia and Alejandro Toledo all took undeclared campaign contributions in exchange for pledges to have the Brazilian construction giant win local tenders, prosecutors said.

Fujimori's arrest comes a week after her 80-year-old father's presidential pardon for crimes against humanity was revoked by a top court.

Following his extradition to Peru in 2007, Alberto Fujimori was sentenced to 25 years in prison for commanding death squads that massacred civilians in a counterinsurgency campaign during his right-wing government. He was later found guilty of corruption.

Keiko Fujimori's legal troubles could help President Martin Vizcarra, who threatened to dissolve Congress last month to pressure the opposition to pass his proposed judicial and political reforms.

A twice-defeated presidential candidate, Fujimori has led the Popular Force since her father was imprisoned in 2007.
Former President of the Community of Madrid, ex-Mayor of Madrid and ex-Minister of Justice Alberto Ruiz Gallardón is imputed by his role in Lezo Operation corruption scandal.