Shazifh Osman, 38, and Munira Hishamshah, 37, both aesthetic doctors, pleaded not guilty after the charges were read before magistrates Wan Noora Nisa Ngadirin and Cynthia Noor Haizean Sulaiman, Bernama reported.

The couple is accused of unlawfully conducting activities reserved for registered counsellors at a convention centre in Section 15, Shah Alam, between Sept 27 and Sept 30 last year.

They were charged under Section 22(1)(a) of the Counsellors Act 1998, which provides for up to three years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to RM30,000, or both, upon conviction.

Deputy public prosecutor Raja Zaizul Faridah Raja Zaharudin proposed bail of RM10,000 each with one surety, and requested that both accused surrender their passports and report to the nearest police station once a month.

Defence lawyer Alhirzan Mahamad Akhir appealed for a lower bail, saying his clients could only afford RM3,000 as their clinic business had declined and Munira was caring for her mother, who has breast cancer.

Bail was set at RM7,000 for Shazifh and RM5,000 for Munira, each with one surety, and they were ordered to surrender their passports.

The case mention has been fixed for Nov 24.