Malaysia's former prime minister Najib Razak has said he was innocent and had a chance to clear his name, hours after being charged with offences including abuse of power.
Mr Najib pleaded not guilty to the charges arising from an investigation into a scandal-plagued state fund, 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), which he founded almost a decade ago.
"I am confident of my innocence, I believe in my innocence and this is the best chance to clear my name," Mr Najib told reporters outside the courtroom after being released on bail.
"If this is the price I have to pay for 42 years I served the people and the country ... I am willing," he added.
The trial date has been set for 18 February next year.
The charges relate to some 42 million ringgit (€9m) of funds that allegedly went from the fund into Mr Najib's personal bank account.
This represents a small fraction of the billions of dollars the US Department of Justice has said was misappropriated from 1MDB.
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Malaysia's attorney general said he expected more reports from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) investigating wrongdoing at the fund.
Each of the four charges against Mr Najib carries a prison term of up to 20 years.
The abuse of power charge carries a fine of not less than five times the "value of gratification".
Mr Najib was granted bail and ordered to surrender his passport.
The son of a former prime minister, Mr Najib joined parliament at the age of 23 and rose through the ranks to take the top job in 2009.
But his second term in office from 2013 was plagued by allegations around 1MDB, prompting a stunning fall from grace that culminated in his arrest yesterday.
Mahathir Mohamad, who helped Mr Najib's political ascent before turning on him as the allegations surfaced, led a campaign that unseated Mr Najib in May’s election and ousted a coalition that had ruled since Malaysia's independence from Britain in 1957.
One of Mr Mahathir's first acts was to reopen the 1MDB investigation.
