From left: Principal Legal Aid Advocate Hanleck Ching’anda, Assistant Legal Aid Officer Tiyamike Kamtukule, and University of Malawi student Godfrey Chingolo after his acquittal on drug-related charges.
A University of Malawi student, arrested in connection with an alleged HIV/AIDS cure scam, has been acquitted. The student, Godfrey Chingolo, was accused of selling drugs called Gomora, purported to cure HIV.
Chingolo was arrested by Malawi Police in Zomba.
His legal representatives from Legal Aid Malawi argued that the state “failed in all the charges to prove that the drug tendered in court was indeed Gomora and that the said drug does not cure HIV/AIDS”, further arguing that “while the court is well-versed in the law, it lacked sufficient knowledge and expertise to determine whether the drug cures HIV/AIDS.”
Chingolo’s lawyers also challenged the authenticity of the screenshots presented as evidence, stating that “the state flouted procedural laws on documentary evidence,” further undermining the credibility of the evidence.
The court ruled that the prosecution had failed to provide sufficient evidence to support the claims, leading to Chingolo’s full acquittal.
