KUALA LUMPUR: The Sessions Court here today allowed the application by FashionValet Sdn Bhd (FashionValet) founder Datin Vivy Yusof and her husband, Datuk Fadzarudin Shah Anuar, for a temporary release of their passports to enable them to perform the Umrah.

Judge Rosli Ahmad allowed the applications by the couple after their lawyer, Ashok Athimulan, informed the court that his clients needed the passport from today until Jan 15 to perform the Umrah.

According to the lawyer, his clients will leave for Saudi Arabia on Jan 5 and are expected to return to Malaysia on Jan 14.

“I request that the passports be handed over today because the absence of passports makes it difficult for them to make the necessary reservations,” he said.

Judge Rosli then ordered the passports to be handed over to the couple today and to be returned to the court this Jan 15.

Meanwhile, the prosecution, represented by Deputy Public Prosecutor Datuk Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin did not object to the application but informed the court that the case had been fixed for mention this Jan 22.

On Dec 5, Vivy Yusof, whose real name is Vivy Sofinas Yusof, 37, and Fadzarudin, 36, pleaded not guilty to criminal breach of trust (CBT) involving RM8 million in investment funds belonging to Khazanah Nasional Berhad (Khazanah) and Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB).

The couple, as directors of FashionValet Sdn Bhd, is accused of having the common intention to commit CBT over the Khazanah and PNB investment funds that were entrusted to them by making a payment of RM8 million from the bank account of FashionValet Sdn Bhd 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 Aug 21, 2018.

The couple was charged under Section 409 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 34 of the same law, which provides imprisonment of up to 20 years as well as whipping and can be fined, if convicted.