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JOHOR BAHRU: Nine people, including one woman, were among the first in the country to be charged in magistrates court here today under the new Road Transportation (Amendment) Act that went into effect last Friday.
All the defendants, between the ages of 25 and 55, were charged with driving under the influence of alcohol above the permitted limit of 50 mg of alcohol in 100 ml of blood. The crime took place in Johor Bahru between October 23 and 25.
Eight of them, including the woman, pleaded guilty, while another man sought trial after the charges were read before Magistrate Nur Asidah A Rahman.
The offense carries a jail term of up to two years, a maximum fine of RM30,000 and revocation of the driving license for two years or more.
Nur Asidah sentenced each of the eight defendants to seven days in jail from today and fined them RM10,000 each or 10 months in prison.
The court also ordered the suspension of their driving licenses for two years.
For the defendants who sought trial, the court granted bail of RM13,000 and set November 26 to mention the case.
All the accused were not represented.
