KUALA LUMPUR: A former driver of a Kuala Lumpur High Court judge pleaded not guilty in the Magistrates' Court here on Friday (May 15) to a charge of criminal intimidation against the judge last week.
Mohd Fareez Mohd Zin, 39, was accused of threatening High Court Judge Gan Techiong, 64, with the intention of causing him fear and creating alarm.
The alleged offence took place at the Kuala Lumpur High Court (Civil) in Jalan Duta here at 1.30pm on May 8.
The charge was brought under Section 506 of the Penal Code, which provides for a maximum prison term of two years, or a fine, or both.
If the threat is intended to cause death or grievous hurt, the offender may be imprisoned for up to seven years, or fined, or both, upon conviction.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Amritpreet Kaur Randhawa did not offer bail, as the offence is non-bailable.
The accused’s lawyer, Karen Kaur, applied for bail on the grounds that her client, who is married and has three children, does not pose a flight risk.
However, Amritpreet objected to the bail application to ensure the safety of the High Court judge.
"If the court wishes to grant bail, I request a high bail amount with additional conditions, including that the accused not interfere with prosecution witnesses and report to the nearest police station," she said.
Magistrate Farah Nabihah Muhammad Dan denied bail, taking into account that the offence is non-bailable and the prosecution's objection. She set Aug 11 for the case to be mentioned.
In the same court, Mohd Fareez also pleaded not guilty to a separate charge of having amphetamine and methamphetamine in his system based on a urine test.
The alleged offence took place in a toilet at the Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department office of the Sentul police headquarters here at 11.10pm on May 12.
He was charged under Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, which carries a maximum penalty of a RM5,000 fine, or two years' imprisonment, as well as supervised release for a period of between two and three years, upon conviction.
Amritpreet offered bail of RM4,000 with one surety, while Karen requested minimal bail on the grounds that her client is currently unemployed.
The court granted bail of RM2,000 with one surety and set Aug 11 for case mention.- Bernama
