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| Malaysia's ex-PM Najib charged with corruption over 1MDB | Malaysia's ex-PM Najib charged with corruption over 1MDB |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Najib Razak has been charged with corruption, a dramatic fall from grace for the former Malaysian prime minister two months after he lost office. | Najib Razak has been charged with corruption, a dramatic fall from grace for the former Malaysian prime minister two months after he lost office. |
| He faces three counts of criminal breach of trust and one count of abuse of power. He pleaded not guilty to all counts and has been released on bail. | |
| Mr Najib has long been accused of pocketing $700m (£517m) from the state development fund 1MDB, which he set up. | |
| A new investigation began after his shock election loss in May. | A new investigation began after his shock election loss in May. |
| Mr Najib was arrested by anti-corruption authorities on Tuesday and spent the night in detention. | Mr Najib was arrested by anti-corruption authorities on Tuesday and spent the night in detention. |
| In a video posted on Twitter a day earlier, he appealed to the public not to believe the reports, saying that not all of the accusations were true. "I have not had a chance to defend myself," he said. | In a video posted on Twitter a day earlier, he appealed to the public not to believe the reports, saying that not all of the accusations were true. "I have not had a chance to defend myself," he said. |
| The charges against him carry a maximum of 20 years imprisonment. | The charges against him carry a maximum of 20 years imprisonment. |
| The bail amount was set at 1m Malaysian ringgit ($250,000; £190,000). | |
| 'Never thought I'd see the day' | |
| Michael Bristow, BBC News, Kuala Lumpur | |
| Several hundred people gathered outside Kuala Lumpur High Court to see Mr Najib. Some of his supporters turned up, as did dozens of journalists. | |
| There were also onlookers; people who had come simply to see a former prime minister appear in court. | |
| Mr Najib showed little emotion as he pushed his way through the crowd to the court's main door. | |
| It's not clear if it was his decision to walk in using the front entrance, or whether he had been forced to. | |
| Inside, other cases were taking place, but the main interest was on Mr Najib. | |
| Ushers constantly tried to silence excited people gathered in corridors; the noise was disturbing other cases. | |
| Lawyers waiting to be called for their own hearings wandered over to try to get a look at the former prime minister. "I never thought I'd see the day," said one. | |
| 1MDB, set up by Mr Najib in 2009, was meant to turn the capital, Kuala Lumpur, into a financial hub and boost the economy through strategic investments. | 1MDB, set up by Mr Najib in 2009, was meant to turn the capital, Kuala Lumpur, into a financial hub and boost the economy through strategic investments. |
| But it started to attract negative attention in early 2015 after it missed payments for some of the $11bn it owed to banks and bondholders. | But it started to attract negative attention in early 2015 after it missed payments for some of the $11bn it owed to banks and bondholders. |
| Then the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported it had seen a paper trail that allegedly traced close to $700m from the fund to Mr Najib's personal bank accounts. | Then the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported it had seen a paper trail that allegedly traced close to $700m from the fund to Mr Najib's personal bank accounts. |
| Billions of dollars are still unaccounted for. | Billions of dollars are still unaccounted for. |
| Mr Najib has always denied the corruption charges and had been cleared by Malaysian authorities while in power, but he is being investigated by several other countries. | Mr Najib has always denied the corruption charges and had been cleared by Malaysian authorities while in power, but he is being investigated by several other countries. |
| The allegations played a central role in his defeat to former ally, 93-year-old Mahathir Mohamad, in May. | The allegations played a central role in his defeat to former ally, 93-year-old Mahathir Mohamad, in May. |
| Mr Mahathir pledged to re-open the investigation and Mr Najib was banned from leaving Malaysia. | Mr Mahathir pledged to re-open the investigation and Mr Najib was banned from leaving Malaysia. |
| Raids in recent weeks have been carried out across properties linked to Mr Najib and his wife. | Raids in recent weeks have been carried out across properties linked to Mr Najib and his wife. |
| Police say they recovered $273m in luxury goods and cash from a raid in June, calling the seizure of valuables the biggest in Malaysian history. | Police say they recovered $273m in luxury goods and cash from a raid in June, calling the seizure of valuables the biggest in Malaysian history. |
| Jewellery accounted for the biggest portion of the seizure, with the most expensive item being a $1.6m diamond and gold necklace. | Jewellery accounted for the biggest portion of the seizure, with the most expensive item being a $1.6m diamond and gold necklace. |
| Mr Najib has always insisted such goods were gifts or legitimately bought. | Mr Najib has always insisted such goods were gifts or legitimately bought. |