A former president of the U.N. General Assembly, another diplomat and a Chinese billionaire were among five defendants who have pleaded not guilty in a bribery case.
The pleas came Thursday in a Manhattan federal court. Afterward, a judge refused the government's attempt to revoke $50 million bail for a billionaire whose money is at the centre of a bribery scandal drawing scrutiny into how the U.N. operates.
The judge did toughen conditions under which Ng Lap Seng (eeng-lap-sing) can remain in a Manhattan apartment under guard. He's limiting who Ng sees and how he communicates by phone and computer.
The men were indicted this week. Prosecutors say they participated in a bribery scheme in which Ng supplied money to win support for construction of a U.N. conference centre in Macau.
This content appears as provided to The Globe by the originating wire service. It has not been edited by Globe staff.