Four former Barclays executives have appeared at Southwark crown court and pleaded not guilty to charges brought by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) in relation to a £12bn rescue package secured by the bank at the height of the financial crisis.

The former chief executive John Varley, the ex-investment banking chief Roger Jenkins, the formerhead of Barclays’ wealth division Thomas Kalaris and the ex-European financial institutions head Richard Boath denied charges of conspiracy to commit fraud in relation to the 2008 capital raising.

Varley and Jenkins denied a second count of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation in relation to the fundraising.

The cases relate to a £12bn rescue package provided by investors including Qatar Holdings in 2008, which helped Barclays avoid a government bailout during the banking crash.

Varley, 62, of west London, Jenkins, 63, of Malibu, California, Boath, 60, of Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, and Kalaris, 63, of south-west London, will go on trial next week at Southwark crown court in London. The trial is expected to last for about four months.