Anas Exposé: Herbalist manufacturing fake COVID-19 cure convicted

Abdallah Awal, a 47-year-old herbalist, has been convicted by the Circuit Court in Accra for manufacturing unregistered and unapproved medicine to cure COVID-19, Starrfm.com.gh reports.

He was sentenced to a fine of 7500 penalty units, equivalent to GHc90,000, with a 15-year custodial sentence if he defaults on the payment.

His accomplice, Bin Musah Abdallah, 27, was acquitted and

Read full articledischarged of all charges.

The court found Abdellah Awal guilty of several offenses, including manufacturing herbal medicinal products without authority, manufacturing unregistered herbal medicinal products, attempting to sell unregistered herbal medicinal products, manufacturing herbal medicine in unregistered premises, and storing herbal medicine in unregistered premises, all contrary to Section 130(1) and 142 of the Public Health Act 2012, Act 851.


The case began when officials from the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) acted on intelligence and arrested Awal and Bin Musah at a house with various unregistered herbal medicine products labeled as a cure for COVID-19.

The court heard that Awal claimed ownership of all the exhibits, stating that Bin Musah assisted him in advertising the products on social media and in the market.

Background:

In 2020, two individuals, Dr. Abdellah and Dr. Abdul Sarnad Bin Musa were arrested for allegedly manufacturing herbal medicines claimed to cure COVID-19.

BBC Africa Eye, along with Ghanaian investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas, uncovered their illegal activities in a documentary that aimed to expose a COVID-19 scam worth tens of thousands of dollars.

The documentary dubbed 'Corona Quacks and Thieves in Ghana' revealed how the duo produced hundreds of bottles of a concoction labeled as the "Covid Cure" with fake FDA numbers during the lockdown period.

They attempted to sell 100 bottles of the concoction to an undercover team for GH¢150,000, amassing a total stockpile of almost GH¢433,875 worth of fake cure products.

The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) issued a statement condemning the unregistered products, which were being manufactured at Kojo Ashong near Amasaman.

The products bore a falsely labeled FDA registration number “FDB/TMP03709” and had manufacturing and expiry dates of March 2020 and March 2021 respectively.

The FDA's visit to the manufacturing premises revealed unhygienic conditions, a violation of Section 115(1b) of the Public Health Act, 2012 (Act 851).

Laboratory analysis showed that the products did not meet safety standards, making them unsafe for use and violating Sections 113(1) and 118(1) of the Act.