L Jaya Seelan, 51, made the plea after the charge was read out in Tamil before judge Surita Budin.

He was charged with trafficking S Veerasamy, 46, his wife, A Rajeswari, 39, their two children, Shasikala, 19, and Anbarasi, 22, and son-in-law, P Aridasan, 30, for forced labour to settle a debt.

The offence was allegedly committed at Ladang Bukit Tinggi in Rompin, Jempol, between 2008 and Nov 17, 2021.

The charge was framed under Section 12 of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (Atipsom) Act 2007.

Jaya Seelan was allowed bail of RM25,000 in one surety and ordered to report himself at the nearest police station once a month.

The court set Feb 13 for mention.

Deputy public prosecutor Hafizah Zainul Hashimi prosecuted while lawyer M Gobinathan represented Jaya Seelan.