Caroline Haughey the prosecutor in the criminal case against Uganda’s controversial High Court Judge and also the United Nations Tribunal Judge Lydia Mugambe Ssali has disclosed to Oxford Crown Court how the accused person tried to compromise the British Criminal system to avoid the trial against her according to MailOnline.
Haughey told Court that Mugambe was arrested after police received a complaint from a concerned British citizen that in their home, she had a person who was allegedly being held as a slave.
The prosecutor narrated that Thames Valley Police on 10 of February 2023 received a report that a woman was being held as a slave.
As they were following up the complaint, they received another call later that day from a member of the public who became concerned about the woman’s welfare after seeing her in TK Maxx store in Oxford.
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The prosecutor added that when police reached Mugambe’s Oxfordshire home, she told them that they are not supposed to enter her home explaining that she is a diplomat from Uganda.
She was asked to produce documents to prove her narrative.
“’For me, I’m a judge, I’m OK but if you didn’t have much to do… she would want to stay” Justice Mugambe heard saying on the video recording played in court as evidence on Monday.
Haughey explained that when police reached Mugambe’s house, they found the black African woman packing in a bedroom and the accused person told police that the victim didn’t want to work and wanted to go back to Africa.
WHAT THE VICTIM SAYS
However, the victim refuted Mugambe’s explanation telling police that Mugambe would not let her leave the house and had held her against her will until she repaid her the money she used for her travel to the UK.
She added that she arrived in United Kingdom in July of 2022 on a work visa and that she did not want to stay at Mugambe’s house since they had a history of misunderstanding back home in Uganda.
She narrated that while in Uganda, she was working as a maid at Mugambe’s home but they disagreed and separated.
The victim told police that for her to come to United Kingdom, she was told that she was going to work in the home of Uganda’s deputy high commissioner John Leonard Mugerwa.
She disclosed that Mugerwa connived with Mugambe to compromise her to come to United Kingdom and she ended up working at Mugambe’s home against her choice.
She claimed that she later accepted to work for Mugambe after being convinced that she will be allowed to work for other people for more pay on top of taking care of her school ongoing children.
She disclosed that to her suprise, Mugambe went against her word and told her that she had to work for her only.
PROSECUTION PINS MUGAMBE
The prosecutor told court that when Mugerwa learnt that the victim had exposed their criminalities, he rushed back to Uganda that is why he cannot be prosecuted because of the jurisdiction.
She further supposed that while the victim was talking to police, Mugambe was downstairs telling other police officers that the woman was ‘acting funny’ and that she wanted to do more work rather than provide childcare which brought her to the United Kingdom.
Mugambe also told them that the victim did not owe her money and was not packing to leave since she had a key to the property and was free to go.
“I think it’s one of two things. 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 came on, so that’s what she wants,” Mugambe was quoted saying.
Prosecutors claim that they searched Mugambe’s home and discovered that the victim was sleeping behind the children’s bed and her belongings were packed.
They also found the victim’s photo ID hidden inside a book called ‘Constitution of the Republic of Uganda 1995’ in the judge’s bedroom.
Haughey added that when charged at police, Mugambe pleaded that she wanted to talk to the judge who is going to preside over her matter to give a personal explanation but the opportunity was not given to her.
Haughey insisted that Mugambe also tried to use the weight of her personal influence and power to try to get the victim to drop her case against her.
“Ms Mugambe created a situation where the victim was deprived of the opportunity to support herself by preventing her from being able to hold down steady employment or to earn any money unless it was done at the whim or convenience of Ms Mugambe,” she said.
“This was her intention from the outset when arranging for the victim to come to the United Kingdom, obtaining someone to make her life easier and at the least possible cost to herself”.
She insists that the accused person intended to exploit and successfully exploited the victim – depriving her of her freedoms.
“She never intended to pay her properly. She never intended to treat her correctly,” the prosecutor told the court.
Haughey added that Mugambe exploited and abused the victim by taking advantage of her lack of understanding of her rights to properly paid employment and deceiving her as to the purpose of her coming to the United Kingdom.
JUSTICE MUGAMBE’S DEFENCE
However, the soft speaking Mugambe denied the allegations of breaching United Kingdom immigration law, facilitating travel with a view to exploitation, forcing someone to work and conspiracy to intimidate a witness.
The trial is still ongoing and this investigative website will keep on updating you.
Chief Justice Owiny Dollo promised that the judiciary is going to work with the office of the Attorney General and the ministry of Foreign Affairs to make sure that Justice Mugambe is helped to overcome the troubles she is going through.
Justice Mugambe is a wife to celebrated sports journalist Mark Ssali and she is in the United Kingdom to finish her PhD in Law from Oxford University.
If convicted, she will be banned from entering the United Kingdom for ten years and also can be imprisoned.
