African trio claim trial to robbing Japanese man of US$30,000

KUALA LUMPUR: Three African men have pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court here to charges of robbing a Japanese businessman of US$30,000 last month.

Patrick Samba, 34, and Ibrahim Jalloh, 36, both from Sierra Leone, along with Liberian Douglas Daniel Devine, 38, were charged on Wednesday (Sept 11) with robbing 58-year-old Hiroyuki Azuma of US$30,000 (RM130,000) alongside two others who are still at large.

The crime allegedly took place in front of a restaurant in a Brickfields shopping mall here at 1.30pm on Aug 9.

The trio were charged under Section 395 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and a fine or whipping, if convicted.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Izalina Abdullah proposed bail not be allowed as none of the accused had valid travel documents.

However, counsel AR Palaya, representing all three accused, said that his clients had valid travel documents which were either with their respective agents or held at the colleges where they are studying.

“I request the court to set an early date for me to verify their travel documents before appealing for bail,” the lawyer said.