PETALING JAYA: The Indian national accused of breaching the movement control order (MCO) last month was allowed to leave jail today after his employer posted bail for him.
Tufail Ahmad had been in police lock-up and then the Sungai Buloh prison for 23 days.
Magistrate Nor Ariffin Hisham allowed his release after ordering him to post RM1,000 bail with two sureties.
Nor Ariffin also ordered Tufail to surrender his passport to the court and to report to the nearest police station once a month pending disposal of his case.
Bail was posted by Tufail’s employer Ashraf Salim and his wife Shahirah Farah.
Tufail, a tailor, was sent to prison on April 24 as there was no Hindi interpreter available to explain his charges to him.
No plea was taken, with mention fixed for June 12.
Lawyer Rajpal Singh from the Selangor Legal Aid Centre raised the matter with the Malaysian Bar which assisted in having the case brought forward to today.
Deputy public prosecutor Muhammad Fakhrurazi Ahmad Saim urged the court to impose bail of RM3,000, but Rajpal argued for the RM1,000 bail, saying the alleged crime was a non-seizable offence under the Criminal Procedure Code.
“Bail is given to secure the attendance of the accused person. Any excessive amount will be seen as punishment,” said Rajpal who was assisted by Suraj Singh.
Rajpal later told FMT that a Hindi interpreter would be made available on June 12 to ask whether Tufail intended to claim trial or plead guilty to the charge.
Tufail, from Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh, was said to have committed the offence at Pangsapuri Damai in Sungai Way here at about 5.30pm on April 11 by failing to provide a valid reason for being outdoors.
Those found flouting the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Measures within Infected Local Areas) Regulations are liable to a maximum fine of RM1,000, jail of up to six months, or both. - FMT
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