A United Nations (UN) judge, Lydia Mugambe, duped a young woman into traveling to the UK to work as her slave while she was studying at the University of Oxford, a court heard.
Lydia Mugambe is accused of taking “advantage of her status” over her claimed victim in the “most egregious way.”
It is claimed she stopped the Ugandan lady from obtaining stable employment and compelled her to serve as her maid and provide free childcare.
However, Ms. Mugambe rejects all four counts against her.
Prosecutors believe that Ms. Mugambe, a Ugandan High Court judge, had the intention of “obtaining someone to make her life easier and at the least possible cost to herself” from the start.
She is accused of engaging in “illegal folly” with Ugandan deputy high commissioner John Leonard Mugerwa, in which they conspired to bring the young woman to the UK.
The two are accused of engaging in a “very dishonest” trade-off in which Mr. Mugerwa allegedly arranged for the Ugandan High Commission to sponsor the woman’s entry into the UK in exchange for Ms. Mugambe attempting to speak with a judge in charge of Mr. Mugerwa’s legal action.
Ms. Mugambe is also accused of organizing the claimed victim’s journey “with the intention of exploiting her,” as well as seeking to “intimidate” the alleged victim into withdrawing the lawsuit.
According to Oxford Crown Court, the defendant previously informed police she had “diplomatic immunity” and could not be detained because of her employment as a judge in Uganda and at the United Nations.
Jurors were informed that the Metropolitan Police’s diplomatic division had been notified and that Mugambe did not have registered diplomatic immunity in the United Kingdom.
According to her UN profile page, Ms Mugambe was assigned to the judicial roster in May 2023, three months after police were called to her Oxfordshire home.
Caroline Haughey KC, who opened the hearing on Monday, stated that Ms. Mugambe “took advantage of her status over [her alleged victim] in a most egregious way.”.
“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.
She went on to say that the judge, who was pursuing a PhD in law, had “created a situation where [her alleged victim] was deprived of the opportunity to support herself.”
The trial, which is anticipated to last three weeks, continues.
