Denis Ong JCA:

Introduction

[1] This is an appeal by the Public Prosecutor (the appellant herein) from a declaratory judgment obtained by Harminderpall Singh a/l Jagara Singh (the respondent herein) which the High Court in Johore Baru handed down on 15 September 2004.

Facts And Background

[2] The respondent was on 5 December 2002 charged before the Magistrate Court in Johore Baru in Criminal Case No. C83-109-2002 and the charge, in the national language, in the charge sheet, read thus:

Bahawa kamu pada 30 April 2001 jam lebih kurang 0945 hours semasa memandu sebuah m/lori nombor pendaftaran JFY 5271 di Jalan Emas, Simpang Jalan Tembaga/Jalan Besi, Pasir Gudang daerah Johor Bahru dalam Negeri Johor Darul Takzim telah menyebabkan kemalangan jalanraya seterusnya menyebabkan kematian terhadap Mahadi bin Rajam KP: 650226-01-5681 yang beralamat di Kampung Tanjung Langsat, Masai, Johor. Dengan ini kamu telah melakukan satu kesalahan di bawah s 41(1) Akta Pengangkutan Jalan 1987 (Pindaan 1999) dan boleh dihukum di bawah seksyen yang sama.

According to the charge sheet, the respondent's driving licence class B was recorded to have been suspended by the Court from 5 December 2002, the date