00:00A former deputy law minister has described a murder charge brought against a man accused of causing a fatal crash
00:08while driving under the influence of drugs as excessive and overly harsh.
00:14Former SEPANG MP Hanipa Maiden said it was hard to see how the widely reported death of Amiru Hafiz Omar
00:21could be considered as intentional.
00:23He said a charge under Sections 304 or 304A of the Penal Code or under the relevant provision of the
00:32Road Transport Act would have been more appropriate.
00:37Section 304 deals with culpable homicide not amounting to murder, while Section 304A covers causing death through a rash or
00:46negligent act.
00:47In a statement, he said while the DUI is a serious offence globally, most jurisdictions typically prosecute fatal accidents as
00:57vehicular manslaughter or negligent homicide rather than murder.
01:02Hanipa acknowledged a strong public interest in the case, noting that Amiru was a father of three working two jobs
01:10to support his family,
01:11but maintained that a charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder would be more prudent and just than a
01:18murder charge.
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