Lydia Mugambe, a Ugandan High Court judge and United Nations official, was sentenced to more than six years in prison on Friday for exploiting a young woman as a maid without pay while studying at Oxford University.
Mugambe, 50, who was appointed a judge for the UN International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals in 2023, was found guilty of using her status to manipulate a Ugandan woman into coming to the UK in 2022 under false pretenses, with the intent to force her into unpaid labor. She was convicted on charges of forced labor, conspiracy to intimidate, and facilitating travel for exploitation.
The court heard that Mugambe conspired with John Leonard Mugerwa, Uganda’s then-deputy high commissioner, to fraudulently obtain a visa for the victim. Mugambe was sentenced to six years and four months in prison. Judge David Foxton remarked that Mugambe showed no remorse and instead portrayed herself as the victim.
The International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals stated that it would take appropriate actions to protect its integrity following the conviction.
