KUALA LUMPUR (AP): Malaysia's deputy prime minister defended himself against accusations of corruption and involvement in a murder case that the opposition says make him unfit to become the country's leader.

Najib Razak, who is also defence minister, has been increasingly targeted by the opposition, which has sought to link him to scandals, including allegedly dubious defence contracts and the slaying of a Mongolian woman.

In an speech to Parliament late Wednesday, Najib said the opposition has made ``completely baseless'' claims that major military procurements conducted by his ministry were tainted by graft.

Many politicians expect Najib to succeed Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. After their ruling coalition suffered stinging losses in March general elections, Abdullah pledged to hand over power to Najib in a leadership transition they would start planning after December.