A United Nations judge allegedly deceived a young woman into coming to the UK to work as her slave while studying at the University of Oxford, a court has been told.
Lydia Mugambe, also a High Court judge in Uganda, is accused of exploiting her status in a “most egregious way” by preventing the young Ugandan woman from securing steady employment and forcing her to work as a maid and provide free childcare.
Ms. Mugambe denies all four charges. Prosecutors argue that from the beginning, Ms. Mugambe had the intention of “obtaining someone to make her life easier at the least possible cost to herself.”
It is alleged that she conspired with Ugandan Deputy High Commissioner John Leonard Mugerwa to arrange for the young woman’s entrance to the UK. They are said to have engaged in a “dishonest trade-off,” in which Mr. Mugerwa arranged for the Ugandan High Commission to sponsor the woman’s visa in exchange for Ms. Mugambe attempting to influence a judge involved in legal action linked to Mr. Mugerwa.
Ms. Mugambe is also accused of planning the woman’s travel “with a view to her being exploited” and attempting to intimidate her into dropping a case.
During the trial at Oxford Crown Court, jurors heard that Ms. Mugambe had previously claimed “diplomatic immunity” due to her judicial work at the UN and in Uganda. However, the Metropolitan Police’s diplomatic team confirmed she had no registered diplomatic immunity in the UK.
Ms. Mugambe’s UN profile indicates she was appointed to the UN’s judicial roster in May 2023, just three months after police were called to her address in Oxfordshire.
Opening the case, Caroline Haughey KC stated, “Ms. Mugambe used her knowledge, and her power, to deceive [her alleged victim] into coming to the UK, taking advantage of her naivety to induce and deceive her into working for her for nothing.”
The trial, which is expected to last three weeks, continues.
