The grade one magistrate’s court Masaka, has slapped a three-year jail sentence on two Rwandan nationals after they were convicted for selling fake HIV treatment drugs to unsuspecting patients.
The Masaka Grade One grade one magistrate Abdallah Kayiza has sentenced Festo Mugabe, 37-year old Rwandan national and Nathan Karamuzi aged 28-years of Rwanda origin, but residing in Kakuuto sub county in Kyotera district.
The two were arrested by police in Masaka city for operating an illegal HIV treatment center from where they were fleecing desperate clients, who they were also misleading to stop swallowing their ARV drugs.
Prosecution led by Micheal Wekosase, has told court that the two had hired hotel room in Masaka city, from where they were meeting their unsuspecting clients and charging them between 150,000 to 300,000 shillings for a two-months dosage of their concoctions.
Wekosase presented before court a Policeman Ismail Ssemakula, as witnesses to whom the two had sold the concoction and promised him healing in two months.
Prosecution told court that the duo was committing a felony of misleading the public with false information and that their acts were violating the government HIV/AIDS prevention and management strategy.
Court heard that the accused persons were selling the fake treatment drugs in form of herbal mixtures and powdered substances, which they were packaging in small bottles.
The two pleaded guilty to the offenses and accordingly asked the trial magistrate to be lenient to them, saying they were using the herbal drugs to look for their survival, arguing that they were also not dangerous to human health.
They also pleaded with court that they were first-time offenders who had confessed their mistake and pledged not to commit the offenses again.
The trial magistrate has in his ruling; held that since the two have not wasted court’s time, when they pleaded guilty of the offenses, they exhibited remorse thereby pleasing him against awarding them a maximum sentence.
Court accordingly sentenced the two accused persons to three-year terms or paying a cash fine of 300,000 shillings each. The trial magistrates also ordered that the exhibited herbal concoctions be handed over to the National Drugs Authority to undergo scientific testing-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
