SHAH ALAM - A Bangladeshi plantation worker pleaded not guilty in the magistrate's court today to a charge of reckless driving that resulted in the death of a food delivery rider in Puncak Alam on Tuesday.
Md Habibullah, 28, entered the plea after the charge was read out before Magistrate Ameera Mastura Khamis.
The accused is alleged to have driven a Nissan Almera recklessly at a traffic light junction along Jalan Persiaran Mokhtar Dahari, Puncak Alam, at 8.23pm on July 21, causing the death of Muhammad Jafni Baharudin, 28.
The charge was brought under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987, which provides for a jail term of between five and 10 years, as well as a fine of between RM20,000 and RM50,000, upon conviction.
The accused’s lawyers, Muhamad Saifullah Muhamad Azmi and M. Partiben, requested reasonable bail on the grounds that their client is newly married, the main breadwinner for his family in Bangladesh, and earns a monthly income of RM1,800.
"The court has decided that the right to bail is not limited to citizens only. Non-citizens may also be granted bail, and the surety present is the accused's own employer, who knows him and is aware of his residential address," she said.
The court allowed the accused to be released on RM15,000 bail with two local sureties, and ordered him to report to the nearest police station once a month.
The accused's driving licence was also suspended until the conclusion of the case, and the court set Sept 25 for mention of the case pending document submission.
Deputy public prosecutor Alia Anisa Khairus Masnan appeared for the prosecution.
Meanwhile, after the proceedings, Partiben told reporters that his client was not under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident and urged the public not to speculate on the case.
Earlier, media reported that a food delivery rider died after a Nissan Almera rear-ended his Yamaha Y15ZR motorcycle while he was stopped at a traffic light along Jalan Persiaran Mokhtar Dahari, Puncak Alam, on July 21. - BERNAMA