KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 11 — Three African men pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court here today to charges of robbing a Japanese businessman of US$30,000 (RM130,000) last month.

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

The alleged crime took place in front of a restaurant in a shopping mall in Brickfields here at 1.30 pm on August 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 were studying.

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

Judge Egusra Ali did not offer any bail and set September 25 for case mention. — Bernama