Restaurant Worker Pleads Not Guilty To Causing Deaths Of Three Pakistani Men

TELUK INTAN, Jan 16 (Bernama) - - A restaurant worker pleaded not guilty at the Magistrate's Court today to charges of causing the deaths of three Pakistani men who were on their way to perform Hari Raya Aidilfitri prayers last year.

Mohd Azizol Bashed, 37, entered the plea after the three charges were read before Magistrate Naidatul Athirah Azman.

He was accused of committing the offences at 8.10 am on April 10, 2024, at KM16, Jalan Teluk Intan bound towards Bidor in the Hilir Perak district.

Mohd Azizol was allegedly driving a Proton Iswara under the influence of drugs, rendering him unable to control the vehicle properly, resulting in the deaths of Khan Adil, Muhammad Zahir, and Shayan Muhammad.

He was charged under Section 44(1)(a) of the Road Transport Act 1987 (Act 333), which carries a penalty of seven to 10 years imprisonment and a fine of RM30,000 to RM50,000 upon conviction.

 The accused also pleaded not guilty to three additional charges of causing injuries to three other Pakistani men: Khan Yaseen, Khan Saleem, and Kamran Ali, allegedly committed on the same date and time. 

He was charged under Section 44(1A)(a) of the Road Transport Act 1987 (Act 333), which carries a penalty of seven to 10 years imprisonment and a fine of RM30,000 to RM50,000 upon conviction.

Deputy public prosecutor Izzuddin Fakri Hamdan proposed bail of RM10,000 for each charge and requested that all licenses held by the accused be suspended until the trial concludes, citing public interest as the case involved fatalities.

Meanwhile, the accused’s lawyer Aliff Aiman Rusli appealed for minimum bail, on the basis that his client works at a restaurant earning only RM50 daily and supports his 72-year-old mother.

The court set bail at RM2,000 for each charge, with one surety, and ordered the suspension of Mohd Azizol’s driver’s licence. Case mention is scheduled for Feb 19.

-- BERNAMA