BATU PAHAT: A 25-year-old contractor was charged at the magistrate's court in Yong Peng here today with causing a fatal crash while driving under the influence of drugs last month.
Mohamad Afiq Ikmal, a father of two, however, pleaded not guilty when the charges were read by the court interpreter before Magistrate Suhaila Shafi'uddin.
According to the charge sheet, Afiq was accused of driving under the influence which resulted in the death of motorcyclist Muhammad Nurhaffiz Idris at KM32.5, Jalan Kluang-Batu Pahat here at 10.20pm on Nov 7.
He was charged with committing the offence under Section 44 (1) (a) of the Road Transports Act 1987, which carries the maximum 15 years' jail or RM100,000 in fine upon conviction.
The accused may also lose their eligibility to hold or obtain a driving licence for a period of no less than seven years from the date of conviction.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Farah Wahidah Mohd Sharip prosecuted, while the accused was represented by Tan Song Yan from the National Legal Aid Foundation.
The court later set bail at RM3,500 and ordered the accused to report to the Ayer Hitam police station twice a month, surrender his passport and refrain from contacting prosecution witnesses.
The court also fixed Dec 10 as mention.