KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — The Latest on the 1MDB corruption case against former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak (all times local):
10:20 p.m.
Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister Wan Azizah Wan Ismail says the rule of law must be followed in the prosecution of former Prime Minister Najib Razak.
Wan Azizah said Wednesday at a conference in Mongolia that she doesn't "think it's fair for anyone to be judged on a media trial — this is important."
Wan Azizah is the wife of reformist leader Anwar Ibrahim. Anwar was convicted in 2015 of a sodomy charge that he said was concocted to destroy his political career, and was freed in May after obtaining a royal pardon.
Najib was charged Wednesday with three counts of criminal breach of trust stemming from a corruption scandal at a state investment fund.
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4:40 p.m.
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak says after posting bail on four corruption charges that trial is the best option for him to prove his innocence.
At a news conference after the hearing Wednesday, Najib says a trial was "the best chance for me to clear my name after all the slander and accusations."
The trial is set to start Feb. 8, subject to confirmation at a preliminary hearing next month.
He pleaded not guilty to all charges at the High Court in Kuala Lumpur. A judge set bail at 1 million ringgit in cash ($250,000) and ordered Najib to surrender his two diplomatic passports.
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11:50 a.m.
A Malaysian High Court judge has approved bail at 1 million ringgit in cash ($250,000) for former Prime Minister Najib Razak.
Judge Mohamad Sofian Abdul Razak set the bail amount and told Najib to surrender his two diplomatic passports. Najib earlier pleaded not guilty to four charges in the corruption case involving the 1MDB state investment fund.
The criminal charges come two months after the scandal involving the indebted fund led to Najib's shock election defeat.
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11 a.m.
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has pleaded not guilty to all 4 charges in the corruption case brought against him by state prosecutors.
"I claim trial" he said in a barely audible voice as he stood in the dock at the High Court in Kuala Lumpur.
His lawyers have applied for bail and the amount is still being argued in court. Prosecutors want 4 million ringgit (nearly $1 million) bail.
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9.15 a.m.
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has been charged in a Malaysian lower court with three counts of criminal breach of trust stemming from the corruption scandal at a state investment fund.
Each of the three charges has a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Whipping is also a penalty but Najib would be exempt because he is over 60 years old.
A judge said Najib is accused of abusing his power between December 2014 and March 2015 when about $10 million was transferred from a former unit of the 1MDB state fund to his bank account.
The case will be transferred to the High Court where Najib is expected to make his plea Wednesday. He has denied any wrongdoing.
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8:30 a.m.
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has arrived at a Kuala Lumpur court house to face charges stemming from a corruption probe, two months after his shock election defeat.
Najib was arrested Tuesday by anti-graft officials over a suspicious transfer of 42 million ringgit ($10.4 million) into his bank accounts from SRC International, a former unit of the 1MDB state investment fund that U.S. investigators say was looted by associates of Najib.
State news agency Bernama said Najib could be charged Wednesday with more than 10 counts of criminal breach of trust, which has a maximum penalty of 20 years prison.
Najib, 64, denies any wrongdoing and has accused the new government of seeking "political vengeance."
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