A VIETNAMESE woman was charged at the George Town magistrate's court today with causing the death of a male student and injuring another while driving under the influence of alcohol.
The 40-year-old, who is married to a local man, claimed trial to both charges which were read to her in Mandarin.
Nguyen Thi Kim Oanh was heard saying "not wrong," to the charges.
According to the first charge, Nguyen is alleged to have driven a Honda Jazz while under the influence,causing her to lose control of the vehicle, leading to the death of Thomas Ch'ng Kai Hen, 18, on Jalan Jelutong at 9:48 pm on February 19.
For the second charge, she is alleged to have driven the same car under the influence, causing her to lose control of the vehicle, resulting in the injury of Ooi Qi Heng, 18, at the same place and time.
She was charged under Section 44(1A)(a) of the Road Transport Act 1987 (Amendment 2000), for the offences.
Deputy Public Prosecutor M. Darrshini prosecuted, while Nguyen was represented by K. Mahendran.
Darrshini asked the court to set bail at RM15,000 for each charge, for the accused's passport be surrendered to the court and her driving licence be suspended until the case is over.
Mahendran requested for a lower bail as the accused is a mother of three who is not working.
Her husband is a hawker who earns about RM3,000 a month and the couple have three children are aged one, 10, and 16.
Magistrate Nadratun Naim Mohd Saidi then set bail at RM10,000 for each charge, with two Malaysian sureties.
"The accused's driving licence is suspended, and her passport must be surrendered to the court," she said.
The court set April 21 for the submission of documents.
Yesterday, George Town district police chief Razlam Abdul Hamid said the suspect would face two charges under the Road Transport Act 1987, which include driving under the influence.
It was previously reported that the accident occurred when the victim was walking home after a meal with two friends when they were struck by the foreigner’s car.
The driver then fled the scene.
The family of the deceased had earlier accused the authorities of been late in prosecuting the driver, saying that justice delayed is injustice to them. - March 27, 2025
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