Ugandan Judge Lydia Mugambe Convicted in UK for Exploiting Woman as Unpaid Housemaid

Lydia Mugambe, a Ugandan judge who previously held a prestigious position at the UN International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, has been found guilty in the UK of forcing a young woman into slave labor. The conviction stems from an incident during Mugambe’s time as a PhD student at Oxford University.

Prosecutors revealed that Mugambe exploited her status to deceive a young Ugandan woman, luring her to the UK in 2022 with false promises of employment. Instead, the victim was forced into unpaid domestic servitude.

Once the woman arrived in the UK, she was trapped with no means of escape.

The case took a darker turn with the involvement of John Leonard Mugerwa, Uganda’s former deputy high commissioner, who allegedly facilitated the scheme by providing fraudulent documents to secure the victim’s entry into the UK.

Both Mugambe and Mugerwa now face a dramatic fall from grace, their reputations severely tainted by the scandal.

Despite Mugambe’s attempts to contest the charges, the court found her guilty on all counts, including forced labor and conspiracy to intimidate a witness. The verdict marks a significant blow to the once-respected judge, whose actions have drawn widespread condemnation.