SHAH ALAM, April 25 — Famous actor and comedian Saiful Apek and three of his workers were each fined RM2,500 by the High Court here today after they were found guilty of taking marijuana four years ago.  

Judge Datuk Nurchaya Arshad overturned the Petaling Jaya Magistrates Court’s decision which had released them on Sept 30 last year.  

She further ordered all the accused to serve six months in prison in default of the fine and ordered them to be placed under supervision for three years. 

On Sept 30, 2013, Magistrate Ahmad Solihin Abd Wahid had discharged and released Saiful Apek, whose actual name is Mohd Saifulazam Mohamed Yusoff, 45, and his workers on the grounds that the defence had raised a reasonable doubt on the prosecution’s case.

The three workers were Shah Zainatull Ehsan Al-Muazam Shah Yahya, 31, Shaiful Baharom, 27, and Noremy Mohamad, 31, from his company Gitu-Gitu Productions. 

Following this decision the prosecution filed an appeal at the High Court here.

Prior to Sept 30, 2013, the same Magistrate Court had discharged and released the four men without calling them to enter their defence after finding that the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case. 

The prosecution appealed the matter at the High Court here where on May 22, 2013 Judge Datuk Abdul Alim Abdullah ordered all the accused to enter their defence. 

Saiful Apek, Shah Zainatull Ehsan, Shaiful and Noremy had committed the offence at the Subang Jaya police headquarters’ Narcotics CID office in Taman Putra Permai, Seri Kembangan, Petaling Jaya at 11pm on June 12, 2010. 

They were charged under Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 which provides up to two years in prison or maximum fine of RM5,000, upon conviction.  

Deputy public prosecutor Ahmad Ishrakh Saad conducted the prosecution. — Bernama