Mohd Rafi Jaafar, 37, pleaded not guilty to the charge read out to him before judge Nur Faizah Abdul Sani at the Shah Alam magistrates’ court.

Rafi, who was driving a Hanvan trailer, was accused of reckless or dangerous driving, in causing the crash which also involved three cars on a highway near Subang Jaya.

On Saturday, Selangor Fire and Rescue Department director Norazam Khamis was reported as saying that the dead comprised a man, a woman and eight children, comprising five boys and three girls.

“Nine of the dead were in one car. They were Norul Naziah Buyong, 37, and her eight children ranging in age from 10 months to 17 years.

“The other fatality was mechanic, Mohamad Rahimibin Rolex, 27,” he said.

Rafi was alleged to have committed all the offences at KM8.3 of the ELITE highway from the direction of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) heading towards Shah Alam, at about 12.02am on Dec 18.

He was charged under Section 41 (1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 which carries a jail term of up to 10 years and a fine not exceeding RM50,000, if convicted.

The prosecution team comprised Mohammad Al-Saifi Hashim, Mohd Asnawi Abu Hanipah and Saidah Fasihah Che Yussoff while the accused was not represented, Berita Harian reported.

The prosecution had asked for bail of RM5,000 for every charge, bringing it to a total of RM50,000.

However, after Rafi appealed to lower the bail on the grounds that his wife was not working and that they had a sick child who is warded in Hospital Melaka, the court reduced it to a total of RM10,000 with the additional condition that his driving licence is suspended immediately.

Rafi was also ordered to report to the nearest police station on the first week of every month, and warned against disturbing any of the witnesses.

The magistrate fixed Jan 27, 2022 for the case to be mentioned.