The Mwanza Magistrate’s Court has sentenced 32-year-old Petros Jasi of Tulonkhondo village, Traditional Authority Kanduku in the district to 15 months in prison for selling tablet medicines which he falsely claimed to be “Gammora” an HIV cure, deceiving numerous individuals and putting lives at risk.

The court found Jasi guilty of violating the HIV and AIDS (Prevention and Management) Act and the Pharmacy and Medicines Regulatory Authority (PMRA) Act, 2019 for proclaiming false information about HIV and AIDS and advertising medicinal products without authorization.

The prosecution argued that Jasi’s actions led some HIV-positive individuals to stop taking their anti-retroviral (ARV) medication, resulting in loss of lives. The court agreed, stating that the proliferation of such misinformation undermines the progress made in the national HIV response.

The court then proceeded to sentence Jasi to 15 years in prison with no option for a fine to deter would-be offenders.

Jasi’s arrest in May this year followed a joint investigation by the National AIDS Commission (NAC), PMRA, and Malawi Police Service into social media adverts claiming to cure HIV. The authorities are still tracking down other individuals involved in spreading similar false information.

This sentence serves as a warning to those who exploit vulnerable individuals by spreading misinformation. The public is urged to be cautious and seek accurate information from trusted sources.

Earlier in March this year, the Magistrate’s Court Mangochi fined two women to pay about K2.5 million each for selling vials of injectable gentamicin falsified as “Gammora HIV Cure.”