The High Court in Zomba has found Godfrey Chingolo not guilty of all charges related to the alleged sale and promotion of a drug that cures HIV/AIDS.
Chingolo was arrested in 2024 by Zomba police on allegations that he was selling a product called Gomora, and he was advertising it on social media platforms as a cure for HIV/AIDS.
Chingolo, a University of Malawi student, was later charged with five counts before the Senior Resident Magistrate Court.
According to the Malawi Legal Aid Bureau, the charges included selling medicines with misleading information, making false or misleading statements in connection with any medicine, obtaining money by false pretences, conspiracy to defraud, and advertising medicines without approval, all allegedly committed between January and May 2024.
“As the trial proceeded, the State called only one witness, who testified that Chingolo operated WhatsApp forums where he allegedly advertised Gomora as a cure for HIV/AIDS. The witness tendered a smartphone, screenshots of WhatsApp conversations, and a parcel containing drugs allegedly collected by the accused from a courier service.
“However, under cross-examination, the witness conceded that he was not a medical expert, could not identify the nature of the drug presented in court, and was unaware whether the substance cured HIV/AIDS or whether HIV/AIDS has no cure. He further confirmed that samples of the alleged drug had been sent for analysis, but results were not available at the time of trial,” indicates the Bureau.
In the course of determining if Chingolo had a case to answer, the Legal Aid Bureau (LAB) contended that the State had not provided enough evidence to prove that the products he was selling was indeed Gomora or that it did not cure HIV/AIDS.
“The Senior Resident Magistrate Court found that the prosecution had failed to establish key elements of the offences, describing the case as incomplete due to the absence of expert testimony. The court consequently found that Chingolo had no case to answer and acquitted him on all five counts,” LAB stated.
Source: Malawi Legal Aid Bureau
