Vivy Yusof, husband to face 15-day trial over RM8 million criminal breach of trust charge involving Khazanah and PNB funds
KUALA LUMPUR, June 23 — The Sessions Court today set 15 days of trial next year beginning April 13, for the case involving FashionValet Sdn Bhd founders Datin Vivy Sofinas, known as Vivy and her husband Datuk Fadzarudin Shah Anuar, who are facing charges of criminal breach of trust (CBT) involving RM8 million in investment funds from Khazanah Nasional Berhad (Khazanah) and Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB).
Judge Rosli Ahmad set the trial dates for April 13 to 17, May 18 to 22, and June 8 to 12, 2026.
'The trial will run for 15 days, and the court has set the next case mention for October 27,' said Rosli.
Earlier, Deputy Public Prosecutor Datuk Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin requested the court fix the trial dates agreed upon by both the prosecution and defence. Lawyer M. Athimulan is representing the couple.
Wan Shaharuddin told the court that the prosecution will call 26 witnesses to testify.
The accused, both 37, were not present in court today as their attendance had been exempted.
On December 5 last year, Vivy and Fadzarudin pleaded not guilty to a charge of committing CBT in their capacity as directors of FashionValet Sdn Bhd. They were accused of misappropriating investment funds entrusted to them by Khazanah and PNB by transferring RM8 million from FashionValet Sdn Bhd's company account to 30 Maple Sdn Bhd without the approval of FashionValet's board of directors.
The offence was allegedly committed at Public Bank Berhad, Bukit Damansara Branch, 36-40 Medan Setia 2, Plaza Damansara, Bukit Damansara, here, on August 21, 2018.
The charge, framed under Section 409 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 34 of the same Code, provides for a minimum sentence of two years and a maximum of 20 years in jail, whipping, and a fine upon conviction.
They also pleaded not guilty to an alternative charge of jointly and dishonestly misusing company property, namely, RM8 million in investment funds from Khazanah and PNB belonging to FashionValet Sdn Bhd under Section 403 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 34 of the same Code, which provides for an imprisonment of between six months and five years, along with caning and a fine upon conviction. — Bernama
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Free Malaysia Today
5 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Heavy vehicles which damage roads should be taxed more, says expert
The works ministry said it faces financial constraints in repairing high-risk roads nationwide, including the East-West Highway. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : A road safety expert has urged the government to consider increasing taxes on heavy vehicles such as lorries and trailers, which are the main culprits behind road damage, and channel the revenue for repairs. Law Teik Hua of Universiti Putra Malaysia's road safety research centre said the heavier tax could help the works ministry offset the cost of road maintenance, which is estimated to reach RM4 billion annually. 'This measure should be implemented alongside stricter enforcement mechanisms, such as the installation of weigh-in systems at strategic locations, and steps to ensure the increased tax burden does not fall on end-users,' he told FMT. On Wednesday, the works ministry said it faced financial constraints in repairing high-risk roads nationwide, including the East-West Highway, because of costs nearing RM4 billion. Its minister, Alexander Nanta Linggi, previously acknowledged that heavy vehicles carrying excessive loads were the main cause of road damage, particularly potholes. Law also mooted heavier fines and licence suspensions for transport companies that repeatedly exceed weight limits. 'The government should also consider applying the 'polluter pays' principle, whereby fines are directly channelled into a dedicated road maintenance fund. 'In addition, a blacklist system should be introduced for repeat offenders to curb habitual violations,' he said. He said all funds collected must be managed transparently and subject to audit. To promote a culture of compliance, Law suggested that the government could offer incentives such as tax rebates or official recognition for companies that consistently followed the rules. To reduce damage caused by overloaded vehicles, the works ministry could also adopt more durable construction technologies such as geosynthetics or modified asphalt in road building, he said. Wan Agyl Wan Hassan, founder of transport think tank My Mobility Vision, proposed a special levy or road-use tax for heavy vehicles, similar to systems implemented in Germany, Switzerland and New Zealand. He said such levies were calculated based on the vehicle's weight and travel distance. 'The tax revenue should go into a dedicated road maintenance fund, used exclusively by the works ministry for road repairs and upkeep. 'Fines collected from overloading violations should also go directly into this fund and not be absorbed into the federal government's consolidated fund,' he said. Wan Agyl said it was essential to ensure revenue from violations was used to repair damage caused specifically by heavy vehicles. 'Without such a mechanism, the ministry will remain burdened with high repair costs while funds from enforcement penalties are lost in the general budget. 'This is not about punishing the logistics industry but about protecting public infrastructure. Without proper accountability, roads are being abused while the public ends up footing the bill through general taxation,' he said.
Free Malaysia Today
5 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Express bus driver has licence suspended for dangerous driving
A screenshot of the video in which the bus driver can be seen giving another driver the middle finger before cutting in front of him. PETALING JAYA : The Land Public Transport Agency (Apad) has suspended the licence of an express bus driver who was recently filmed driving dangerously on a highway and antagonising other drivers. In a statement today, the agency said it took a serious view of the incident, and had also cancelled the permit of the bus in question. It said it found several infractions of the law by the bus company, including the failure to comply with Section 22(1)(b)(iii) of the Land Public Transport Act 2010 (Act 715), related to the 'conduct of a driver and conductor of a public service vehicle'. It said the company had also flouted Section 23(1)(b) of the Act for 'failure of a licensed operator and their worker to give the highest priority to the safety of passengers and road users'. 'In line with the powers provided (to Apad) under Section 27 of Act 715, the cancellation of the vehicle's permit will take effect from Aug 7, 2025,' it said. A video shared on TikTok showed the bus driver giving a car driver on the right lane of the highway the middle finger before cutting in front of him. In the video, the passenger of the car, ostensibly the driver's wife, claimed that her husband was already driving at 140kph on the right lane when the bus driver flashed his high beam at them. 'He also flashed his high beam at the other cars in front. He drove even faster. So dangerous,' she wrote in the caption.
Free Malaysia Today
6 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Driver gets 3 days' jail for brandishing airsoft gun in Kuching
The video showing Mohammad Afif brandishing the airsoft gun at an intersection in Kuching. PETALING JAYA : A 22-year-old man was sentenced to three days' jail from today for possession of an imitation firearm after a video of him waving an airsoft gun out of the window of his car went viral recently. Dayak Daily reported that Mohammad Afif pleaded guilty before magistrate Ling Hui Chua in Kuching, Sarawak, to the offence under Section 36(1) of the Arms Act 1960, which deals with the import, possession and sale of imitation firearms. The offence took place at the Jalan Keretapi junction in Kuching at about 1pm on June 19. Afif was arrested at Taman Sukma at 6.30pm the same day, after a police officer saw the video posted at 4.30pm by a Facebook user under the name 'Borneo'. An investigation later found that the man had brandished the gun to intimidate another driver who had been tailgating him. Afif said he had acted out of frustration as the other driver was driving too close to his car. In a separate case before magistrate Syarifah Fatimah Azura Wan Ali, Afif was charged under Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 with the use of amphetamines and methamphetamines. He was found to have committed the offence while detained at the Kuching police headquarters' narcotics division on May 18, 2021 at around 3.50pm. The court fined him RM2,500 or three months' jail in default and ordered him to undergo two years of police supervision upon completing his sentence or paying the fine.
