Court fines trader GH¢12,000 for counterfeit Amuzu bitters and forged trademarks

The Asokwa Circuit Court Two has imposed a GH¢12,000 fine on Jeanice Mensah, a 53-year-old trader, for dealing in counterfeit Amuzu Bitters and forging trademarks. The penalty, equivalent to 1,000 penalty units, can be served as a fine or two months' imprisonment with hard labor. Mensah pleaded guilty to the charges, and the court, headed by Madam Vida Achiaa Yeboah, convicted her accordingly. Both sentences were ordered to run concurrently.

Assistant Superintendent of Police Stephen Ofori presented the case, stating that the complainant, Prince Nkansah, Operations Manager of Amuzu Bitters Company, had received information months earlier that Mensah was selling counterfeit versions of the product. On February 4, 2026, a visit to Mensah's shop in Ashtown revealed boxes of suspected counterfeit Amuzu Bitters with forged Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) tax stamps and trademark labels.

The police recovered 45 cartons, each containing 12 bottles of the counterfeit products from Mensah's possession. Further tests by the Ghana Revenue Authority and the Food and Drugs Authority confirmed the authenticity of the counterfeit products. Mensah admitted ownership of the products and stated that she had received them from a man, whom she could identify if encountered again, but was unable to provide any information to aid his arrest.