KUALA LUMPUR – IOI City Mall Sdn Bhd has obtained a writ of distress against Sitca Designs Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of the controversial local e-commerce platform FashionValet Sdn Bhd, over unpaid rental totalling RM67,872.
The writ, issued on January 3, reveals that Sitca Designs failed to pay rent for October and November 2024, with monthly charges amounting to RM33,936.
As a result, the Sepang Sessions Court instructed bailiffs to allow the movement of property at the premises occupied by FashionValet’s in-house brand, Lilit.
The court also authorised bailiffs to forcibly enter the premises if necessary. According to a court letter to IOI City Mall’s legal representatives, the writ was scheduled for execution on January 8.
In his ruling on December 18, 2024, Judge Amir Affendy Hamzah ordered business operations at the premises to cease until the resolution of the writ’s claims and proceedings.
“Except with the written consent of the plaintiff (IOI City Mall), no parties are allowed to enter the premises in question until a public auction date and/or a vacant possession date, whichever is later, has been handed to the plaintiff,” he ruled.
The court further directed Sitca Designs to bear incidental costs, including legal fees. IOI City Mall was granted possession of the premises and permission to dispose of unauctioned items at Sitca Designs’ cost, without liability to any party.
The mall was represented by lawyer Hooi Kit Yi of Messrs Joseph Ting & Co.
Checks by Scoop on Lilit’s online store show that it remains operational, offering significant discounts on various products. Prices for some items have been slashed from RM159 to as low as RM30.
In a related development, the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court last week allowed FashionValet founders Datin Vivy Sofinas Yusof and Datuk Fadzarudin Shah Anuar temporary access to their passports for an umrah pilgrimage. The couple must return the documents by January 15.
Vivy and Fadzarudin face a joint charge of criminal breach of trust involving RM8 million in investment funds from sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional Bhd and government-linked investment firm Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB).
As directors of FashionValet, they are accused of making an unauthorised RM8 million payment to its subsidiary, 30 Maple Sdn Bhd, on August 21, 2018, without board approval. The subsidiary operates the Duck headscarf brand.
Scoop previously reported that FashionValet acquired 30 Maple for RM95 million in December 2018, the same year Khazanah and PNB invested a combined RM47 million into the company.
If convicted under Section 409 of the Penal Code, read with Section 34, Vivy and Fadzarudin face imprisonment of two to 20 years, whipping, and a fine. – January 10, 2024
