Dealers in fake products face 20 years in jail
Feb 25, 2011
DEALERS in counterfeit products risk 20 years imprisonment once the Anti-Counterfeiting Goods Bill is enacted into law.
By Florence Nakaayi
DEALERS in counterfeit products risk 20 years imprisonment once the Anti-Counterfeiting Goods Bill is enacted into law.
The Bill, currently before Parliament, is aimed at protecting the producers, suppliers and consumers against counterfeit products and promoting the reputation of manufacturers.
This was revealed by the Uganda National Bureau of Standards legal counsel, Hellen Wenene, during a workshop organised by the Community Health & Information Network (CHAIN). The theme was, “fighting counterfeit medicineâ€. CHAIN works in partnership with the National Drug Authority (NDA).
Wenene said producers, suppliers and traders would be held accountable once caught with counterfeit goods.
According to the draft, a person found guilty of counterfeiting serves a minimum sentence of not less than five years and not more than 10 times the market price of genuine goods.
The Bill also suggests a maximum of a fine not less than 20 times and not more than 30 times the market price of genuine goods, in addition to imprisonment not less than 10 and not exceeding 20 years.
CHAIN country manager Regina Kamoga said most people were getting health complications due to fake medicine and called for quick intervention.
Participants called for more public awareness on substandard and counterfeit medicines and expeditious enactment of effective laws, which will empower UNBS to penalise culprits.
The executive director of the Uganda National Bureau of Standards, Dr. Terry Kahuma, said: “We (UNBS) have no mandate to tackle counterfeit. We only work on substandard goods.â€
He added that with the substandard products, the penalty is so weak to deter culprits from repeating the offences.
Normally, UNBS closes the sub-standard producers temporarily and gives them guidelines to follow before they are allowed to re-open, Kahuma said.
DEALERS in counterfeit products risk 20 years imprisonment once the Anti-Counterfeiting Goods Bill is enacted into law.
The Bill, currently before Parliament, is aimed at protecting the producers, suppliers and consumers against counterfeit products and promoting the reputation of manufacturers.
This was revealed by the Uganda National Bureau of Standards legal counsel, Hellen Wenene, during a workshop organised by the Community Health & Information Network (CHAIN). The theme was, “fighting counterfeit medicineâ€. CHAIN works in partnership with the National Drug Authority (NDA).
Wenene said producers, suppliers and traders would be held accountable once caught with counterfeit goods.
According to the draft, a person found guilty of counterfeiting serves a minimum sentence of not less than five years and not more than 10 times the market price of genuine goods.
The Bill also suggests a maximum of a fine not less than 20 times and not more than 30 times the market price of genuine goods, in addition to imprisonment not less than 10 and not exceeding 20 years.
CHAIN country manager Regina Kamoga said most people were getting health complications due to fake medicine and called for quick intervention.
Participants called for more public awareness on substandard and counterfeit medicines and expeditious enactment of effective laws, which will empower UNBS to penalise culprits.
The executive director of the Uganda National Bureau of Standards, Dr. Terry Kahuma, said: “We (UNBS) have no mandate to tackle counterfeit. We only work on substandard goods.â€
He added that with the substandard products, the penalty is so weak to deter culprits from repeating the offences.
Normally, UNBS closes the sub-standard producers temporarily and gives them guidelines to follow before they are allowed to re-open, Kahuma said.