THE Kelantan Islamic Religious Department has confirmed that Elia Suhana Ahmad is the Sultan of Kelantan Sultan Ismail Petra's second wife, reported Utusan Malaysia.

The department's marriage, divorce and reconciliation chief registrar Hasnan Ramli confirmed that the Sultan married the 30-year-old woman on Dec 31, 2007.

Elia Suhana on Monday had issued a fax statement clarifying that she was the woman who was reported to have sneaked into the royal suite of the Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore on Oct 8.

She also furnished a copy of the marriage accreditation card and a photograph of her together with the Sultan and her parents.

The matter became an issue following a report in an English tabloid about palace police bringing in a "mystery woman" to visit the Sultan who is currently undergoing treatment at the hospital.

Kosmo!, which also front-paged the issue, reported that the Sultan's second marriage was not officially declared but was generally not a secret among Palace officials.

It said based on the marriage certificate, Elia Suhana's father, Ahmad Abdul Hamid, 63, acted as her wali (guardian) and Wan Abdul Matan Chik and Mahmud Ali were the witnesses during the akad nikah (marriage solemnisation) ceremony. The dowry was RM20,000 (S$8,206).