Rajoy to testify in Gürtel corruption trial with over 300 international reporters watching

So far, 312 reporters, camera crew and photographers from 83 media channels, of which 21 are based in other countries, have managed to obtain press passes to cover the hearing live.

French, German, Russian, Mexican and Colombian media are among the foreign press-pass holders.

The National Court says 14 mobile TV and radio units will be parked on site, and 150 of the journalists, film crew and photographers have been given permission to enter the building.

Of these, 120 will follow the hearing from the press room and another 30 will get the one-off chance to access the courtroom and witness the proceedings live.

The right-wing PP leader will be surrounded by watertight security measures including armed police and bodyguards when he arrives at the court on the industrial estate in San Fernando de Henares in the Greater Madrid region ready to give his version of events and stand for cross-examining from 10.00.

Rajoy will be interrogated by the anti-corruption prosecution and the various parties which have brought a private prosecution against those accused in the Gürtel scandal.

Complainants include the State Law Service, Madrid city council, Madrid regional government, the socialist party in Valencia and in Boadilla del Monte (Madrid) and the anti-corruption legal society, the Association of Democratic Lawyers in Europe (ADADE), although it is possible not all these bodies will wish to cross-examine the witness.

Defence lawyers will be next to ask their questions, followed by the head of court Ángel Hurtado.

Reporters are allowed to enter the areas they have passes for from 07.30 tomorrow morning.

Among questions expected to be asked, Rajoy is likely to be requested to reveal all he knows about the awarding of public works contracts between 1990 and 2003 to the companies under investigation.

The Gürtel network allegedly involves huge cash bribes given to the PP in exchange for being granted these lucrative jobs – bribes which were shared out between top-flight members of the party without 'going through the books', and which were thought to have been spent on electoral campaigning.

Bribes in the shape of Louis Vuitton handbags, holidays and children's birthday parties are believed to have been handed out to ex-mayor of Pozuelo de Alarcón (Madrid), Jesús Sepúlveda, and his wife Ana Mato, who was health minister until around two years ago.

Sra Mato resigned when details of the backhanders became known to the public.

Although the involvement of former PP treasurer Luis Bárcenas and his predecessors, including their 'underground' accounting system, is being handled under a separate court case, it appears likely Rajoy will be quizzed about how far, if at all, he was aware of the issue.

Hurtado, as head of court, will probably ask these questions, since he is supposed to be impartial and it looks likely the defence will lodge an objection if such enquiries come from the private prosecution.