Justice Mugambe’s modern slavery trial kicks off in UK

The trial of Ugandan High Court Judge Lydia Mugambe on charges of modern slavery began this week in the UK, with prosecutors alleging she exploited a young Ugandan woman she brought to the UK.

The prosecution claims Justice Mugambe, while pursuing her PhD at Oxford University, lured the woman with promises of work but instead subjected her to forced labour. LBC, a UK news site, reports that prosecutors described Justice Mugambe’s actions as an abuse of her position, taking advantage of the woman’s desire to earn money in the UK. Jurors at Oxford Crown Court were shown police bodycam footage from February 10, 2023, when officers visited Justice Mugambe’s residence in Oxfordshire following reports of a woman being held as a slave.

The footage reportedly shows the woman packing in a bedroom, telling officers she was not allowed to leave until she repaid Justice Mugambe for her travel expenses. The woman, who arrived in the UK in July 2022 on a work visa, expressed her desire to leave Justice Mugambe’s home. Simultaneously, Justice Mugambe was allegedly recorded telling officers the woman was “acting funny” and prioritising work over childcare, the news site reports.

Justice Mugambe faces charges related to modern slavery, encompassing slavery, servitude, forced labour, and human trafficking. Prosecutors allege she stated the woman was motivated by financial gain, quoting her as saying, “She wants to work more.

This is what happens exactly when they come, they get excited about the Pound and then they want to work much more than the terms they come on, so that’s what she wants.” The news site further quotes Justice Mugambe as saying, “She doesn’t want to go, who wants to go back to Africa when she can work.” She is also accused of “illegal folly” with a senior Ugandan official to facilitate the woman’s travel to the UK and of attempting to “intimidate” her into dropping the case. Justice Mugambe denies all charges, including conspiring to breach UK immigration laws, facilitating travel for exploitation, forced labour, and witness intimidation.

The Crown Prosecution Service authorised the charges against Justice Mugambe, who is on sabbatical pursuing her PhD, in August of last year. Family sources maintain her innocence, claiming she helped the woman travel to the UK, where she allegedly fell under the influence of individuals who encouraged her to seek asylum by falsely accusing the judge. They suggested a conviction for modern slavery in the UK carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. The trial is expected to last three weeks.

BACKGROUND

In October last year, the government promised to come to the rescue of Justice Mugambe. Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister Norbert Mao said he had instructed the office of the Attorney General to come up with viable options on how the jailed judge could be helped. “I only got to know about her case two days ago. I’m instructing the Attorney General’s office to advise on the options,” Minister Mao said then. According to her UN profile page, Justice Mugambe was appointed to the body’s judicial roster in May 2023 - three months after police were called to her address in Oxfordshire.