KUALA LUMPUR (June 24): Ahmad Saiful Islam Mohamad was granted a stay of execution pending an appeal against his eight-month prison sentence meted out by the Magistrates Court today.

Ahmad Saiful, the son of former defence minister and Parti Amanah Negara president Mohamad Sabu — more popularly known as Mat Sabu — was sentenced today for using drugs at a hotel in the city centre last year.

Magistrate Mohamad Aizat Abdul Rahim sentenced the 32-year-old because he was satisfied that Ahmad Saiful’s defence team was unable to prove his innocence beyond reasonable doubt.

“After a maximum evaluation, the court finds the defence had failed to raise reasonable doubt in the prosecution's case," the magistrate said in reading out his sentence.

The magistrate ruled that the testimonies of the prosecution and defence witnesses proved that there was no break in the chain of evidence.

The court also ruled that Ahmad Saiful will serve his prison sentence beginning today, and will be monitored by the National Anti-Drugs Agency and the police for two years once he has served his sentence.

Nasar Khan, Emile Ezra Hussain and Datuk Nicholas Kow, acting for Ahmad Saiful, had asked the magistrate for an interim stay. However, their oral request was denied and they were asked to submit their request in writing to the court.

Later in the afternoon, the court granted the stay pending an appeal after the lawyers submitted the request in writing.

The court imposed a RM9,000 bail in one surety, and ordered the accused to report himself to the nearest police station on a monthly basis and surrender his passport to the court.

Ahmad Saiful was charged with administering a THC drug (marijuana) at an entertainment centre in the hotel at about 2.05am on Jan 5, 2019.

He was found guilty under Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.