Sure Deal boss charged with counterfeit

Jan 17, 2019

Namwanje was arrested last week on Friday and remanded to Luzira prison. She denied the charges and was released on a sh2m bail.

CRIME

KAMPALA - Sure Deal boss Prossy Maria Namwanje, has been charged with dealing in counterfeit products. She appeared before the Buganda Road Court chief magistrate, Gladys Kamasanyu on Wednesday.

According to the charge sheet, Namwanje was charged with five counts relating to applying Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) quality mark on her products without a permit, being in possession of commodities that do not conform to compulsory standards, selling of products that contain banned substances especially hydroquinone (a prohibited substance in cosmetics).

Hydroquinone is the primary ingredient that inhibits melanin production, which gives colour to skin.

Namwanje was arrested last week on Friday and remanded to Luzira prison. She denied the charges and was released on a sh2m bail.

Some of the products which had a UNBS mark illegally include Aunt Lususu Family Jelly, Aunt Lususu Face Clearing Jelly and Aunt Lususu Cosmetics.

Last year in February, the UNBS market surveillance team carried out various inspections at the Sure Deal outlets. The team discovered that various cosmetics manufactured by the company had the UNBS quality mark despite having not been certified.

The team also confiscated skin lightening cosmetics that contain hydroquinone, which various studies have confirmed to have adverse effects on human health such as damage to internal organs like the liver and causing skin cancer.

"Previous tests carried out by UNBS on some Sure Deal products confirmed that the products contain hydroquinone, which is a banned substance used in cosmetics for skin lightening," Godwin Muhwezi, the UNBS public relations officer, said.

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