UN Judge Convicted of Enslaving Young Woman in the UK

Lydia Mugambe, also a Ugandan High Court judge, exploited her victim using deception and her position of power, a jury ruled.

Lydia Mugambe, a United Nations and Ugandan High Court judge, was found guilty of multiple charges, including human trafficking, forced labor, and witness intimidation, by an Oxford Crown Court jury.
The victim, a young Ugandan woman, was deceived into coming to the UK under false pretenses and forced to work as an unpaid maid and caregiver for Mugambe.
Prosecutors revealed that Mugambe conspired with Ugandan diplomat John Leonard Mugerwa in a quid pro quo arrangement to facilitate the victim’s entry into the UK, though Mugerwa was not prosecuted due to diplomatic immunity.
Mugambe attempted to intimidate the victim into withdrawing her cooperation with the prosecution by contacting her family and arranging for others to pressure her.
Mugambe, who was studying for a law PhD at Oxford University at the time of her arrest, will be sentenced on May 2 and has been suspended from her UN and academic roles.