23 Mar 2006

PNG MP at centre of case of wilfully infecting two women with HIV

1:36 pm on 23 March 2006

An unnamed Papua New Guinea MP could become the first person to face criminal charges under the country's HIV/AIDS prevention law for intentionally infecting his partners with the virus.

The charges are comparable to manslaughter and could lead to jail.

The newspaper, The National, reports that police investigating the case say they have enough evidence to prosecute the MP.

They say they have seen the medical records and interviewed the man's two partners before they died of the disease.

The police investigation began after a complaint was made by relatives of one of the MP's dying partners.

She died two weeks after being interviewed by police.

A second partner of the MP was also interviewed and died three weeks later.