Najib Abdul Razak has claimed trial to three charges of criminal breach of trust and one for abuse of power relating to funds involving SRC International at the High Court in Kuala Lumpur today.

The former prime minister pleaded not guilty when the charges were read out to him before High Court judge Sophian Abdul Razak.

He was earlier produced before the Sessions Court at the same court complex in Jalan Duta.

However, Sessions Judge Zainal Abidin Kamaruddin allowed the application by lead prosecutor, attorney-general Tommy Thomas, that the plea not be recorded and the case be transferred to the High Court instead.

At the High Court, Najib, dressed in blue shirt, red tie and blazer, appeared calm and nodded when the charges were read out to him.

He was formally charged with three counts of committing criminal breach of trust (CBT), under Section 409 of the Penal Code, and one count of abusing his power under Section 23 of the MACC Act 2009, revolving around RM42 million which purportedly entered into his Ambank account from SRC International.

SRC was once a subsidiary of 1MDB, the state-investment fund founded by Najib.

On the first two CBT charges, Najib was alleged, in his capacity as the prime minister, finance minister and SRC adviser emeritus, and as such, entrusted with control of up to RM4 billion of SRC funds, to have committed CBT involving sums of RM27 million and RM5 million respectively.

The two offences were alleged to have taken place at an Ambank branch in Jalan Raja Chulan in Kuala Lumpur sometime between Dec 24 and 29, 2014.

Meanwhile, for the third charge, he was alleged to have committed CBT involving a sum of RM10 million at the same location from between Feb 10 and March 2, 2015.

Each of the CBT charges carries a jail term of no less than two years and no more than 20 years, as well as caning, and/or a fine upon conviction.

However, there is no canning for men above the age of 50 in Malaysia, except for those convicted of rape. Najib is 64.

For the fourth charge under the MACC Act, the accused was further alleged to have, in his capacity as prime minister and finance minister, received RM42 million in exchange for his involvement in the decision by the government to provide guarantees for loans up to RM4 billion from the Retirement Fund Inc (KWAP) to SRC International.

The latter offence was alleged to have taken place between Aug 17, 2011 to Feb 8, 2012 at the Prime Minister's office in Putrajaya.

If found guilty, Najib faces a jail term of no more than 20 years, a fine of no less than five times the amount of gratification, or RM10,000, whichever is higher.

Bail set at RM1 million

Justice Sophian then set bail at RM1 million for all four charges, with two sureties, following an objection by Najib's lead counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah that the initial amount of RM4 million - RM 1 million for each charge - requested for by Tommy to be too high.

"My client through his children and wife have to ask around from their relatives to raise money.

"They have some amount but by far not RM4 million," Shafee told the court, seeking instead for bail to be set at RM500,000 to RM800,000 with two sureties for all four counts.

He stated that as his client's accounts had all been frozen, the latter would have to surrender the deed to his house as part of the surety.

The court then allowed Shafee's application for the bail to be made in two payments, with half to be paid today and the remainder on Monday.

Meanwhile, lawyers Geethan Ram and K Kumaeaendran held a watching brief for Najib's wife Rosmah Mansor.

She was absent in both the Sessions Court and High Court proceedings.

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