PETALING JAYA: Sabah FC defender Rizal Ghazali was charged in the magistrate's court here today, with two counts of beating his girlfriend and damaging her mobile phone in a hotel room, two weeks ago.
Rizal, real name Mohd Rizal Mohd Ghazali, 31, appeared calm throughout the proceedings and pleaded not guilty after the charges against him were read before magistrate Zhafran Rahim Hamzah.
On the first charge, the former national football player was accused of intentionally causing injury to Hani Farhana Hasrul Sani, 37, by beating her in a hotel room here around 6am on June 7.
The charge is framed under Section 323 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum one year of prison sentence or a fine of RM2,000 or both, upon conviction.
For the second charge, Rizal was accused of committing treason by damaging the woman's mobile phone, causing an estimated loss of RM4,500 at the same location, also on the same date and time.
His second charge is framed under Section 427 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum jail term of three months or a fine or both, upon conviction.
Deputy public prosecutor Siti Maryam Jamilah Md Kamal suggested for the court to offer RM7,000 bail for both charges with additional condition that the accused is prohibited from disturbing the victim and prosecution witnesses.
Lawyer Datuk Suraj Singh, who represented Rizal, asked for the bail to be reduced on grounds that his client had cooperated well throughout the police investigation conducted against him.
"My client is a football player and supports his parents," said the lawyer.
The court allowed the accused to be bailed at RM3,500 with one surety for both charges with additional conditions proposed by the prosecution.
The court fixed Aug 24 for re-mention.
On June 8, the media reported that the Super League footballer was arrested by the police after he was believed to have caused injury to his girlfriend. -- Bernama