Mohammed Shawqi Ahmed Zawqari, 27, made the plea after the charge was read to him in English before magistrate Mohd Nor Hafidzuddin Yusoff.

The Yemeni was charged with driving a Proton Preve car in a dangerous manner to the extent of causing the death of Mohamad Azizi Abdul Azis, 25, in front of the One South building, Seri Kembangan, near here, at 2.50am on July 30, 2017

The charge under Section 4(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 provides for a jail term of up to 10 years and a fine not exceeding RM20,000, if found guilty.

Earlier, deputy public prosecutor Fazeedah Faik offered the accused bail of RM5,000 in one surety.

However, the accused, who was represented by lawyer Rahmat Hazlan, asked for a lesser amount as he had been blacklisted by the Immigration Department Malaysia following this case.

“My client is currently in Malaysia on a student visa. He is married and his wife is present here today as bailor, hence there is no risk of him disappearing as his passport has been blacklisted.”

The magistrate allowed the accused bail of RM4,000 in one surety with additional conditions for his passport to be surrendered to the court and his international driving licence suspended until the disposal of the case.

The court also set Feb 11 for case mention.

The accused was reported having a drink at a restaurant when his bag was snatched by the victim, who then fled on a motorcycle.

He then chased after the victim in his car before fatally knocking him down at the scene, about 3km away from where the snatch theft took place. The victim succumbed to serious head injuries.