Ugandan High Court judge Lydia Mugambe-Ssali has been sentenced to six years and four months in prison by Oxford Crown Court for offences related to modern slavery and immigration breaches in the United Kingdom.
The 50-year-old judge, who previously also served on the United Nations Criminal Tribunal, was convicted in March following a trial into her exploitation of a Ugandan woman brought into the UK under false pretences.
According to Thames Valley Police, Mugambe facilitated a visa for the victim, purportedly to work for Uganda’s Deputy High Commissioner in London, John Leonard Mugerwa.
However, after receiving the woman at the airport, Mugambe held her at a private residence in Kidlington, Oxfordshire, where she worked unpaid as a domestic maid and nanny.
The court found that Mugambe conspired to breach UK immigration law, required the victim to perform forced labour, facilitated her travel with the intent of exploitation, and conspired to intimidate a witness.
Police investigations revealed that Mugambe, then a student in the UK, was not legally authorised to sponsor a visa. Instead, Mugerwa used his diplomatic position to sponsor the victim, allegedly knowing she would be handed over to Mugambe.
The prosecution argued that Mugambe, in return, offered Mugerwa assistance with a separate legal matter in Uganda.
Mugerwa was investigated for immigration offences, but the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service could not proceed with charges as the Ugandan government declined to waive his diplomatic immunity.
The victim, who has been granted lifelong anonymity, told the court she had initially trusted Mugambe, but was soon subjected to threats and control.
“Even after the police visited, Lydia told me she had authority, and that she would burn my passport and bank card,” the victim said in a statement read in court.
“I should have been treated humanely, not treated as useless or worthless.”
The court ordered Mugambe to pay the victim £12,160 in compensation, equivalent to about Shs58 million, and imposed a restraining order.
The victim has been granted a lifetime anonymity.
Chief Superintendent Ben Clark of Thames Valley Police said the case highlighted the reality of modern slavery, even in settings involving highly educated professionals.
“Lydia Mugambe is an extremely qualified lawyer… there is no doubt that she knew she was committing offences,” he said.
The case comes just weeks after Uganda signed a prisoner transfer agreement with the UK, raising questions about whether Mugambe could be repatriated to serve part of her sentence in Uganda.