BUTTERWORTH: An unemployed man was charged in the magistrate’s court today with murdering an elderly taxi driver last month.
S. Ganesan, 41, nodded after the charge was read to him before magistrate Aini Adilah Muhammad Faizal.
No plea was recorded as murder cases fall under the jurisdiction of the High Court.
According to the charge sheet, Ganesan is accused of murdering Haron Chua Abdullah, 73, along the route from Jalan Tun Hamdan Sheikh Tahir to Jalan Permatang Pak Elong in Kepala Batas, between 2am and 4am on Oct 8.
The charge under Section 302 of the Penal Code carries the death penalty or imprisonment of between 30 and 40 years and at least 12 strokes of the rotan upon conviction.
Deputy public prosecutor Lim Zhan Yi prosecuted, while the accused was unrepresented.
No bail was granted.
The court fixed Dec 18 for mention pending the post-mortem and chemistry reports.
On Oct 11, it was reported that Fire and Rescue Department personnel had assisted in retrieving the body of an unidentified man from a drain near Surau Permatang Pak Elong.
The incident is believed to have stemmed from a dispute over the taxi fare for a journey from Butterworth to Kepala Batas.
In a separate proceeding at the same court, a Rohingya man, Ajimul Khan Shafiullah, 41, pleaded guilty to using Ganesan’s MyKad without lawful authority to register a Touch ‘n Go e-wallet account.
He committed the offence at Jalan Bertam 2, Kepala Batas, at 4.09pm on Nov 3.
The charge under Regulation 25(1)(e) of the National Registration Regulations 1990 carries a maximum three-year jail term, a fine of up to RM20,000, or both.
Lim urged the court to impose an appropriate sentence.
However, defence counsel Ahmad Faris Khairudin sought a minimum fine, citing his client’s guilty plea, which had saved the court’s time and costs.
“My client also apologised to the court and the country as he was unaware of the regulation.
“My client had engaged the services of an agent to register the account and did not know Ganesan,” he told the court.
Ahmad added that Ganesan had not suffered any financial losses.
The court fined Ajimul RM3,500, in default five months’ imprisonment.