UN Judge Lydia Mugambe Sentenced to Over Six Years for Modern Slavery Crimes

 Lydia Mugambe, a 49-year-old United Nations judge and former Ugandan High Court judge, was sentenced to six years and four months in prison on May 2, 2025, by Oxford Crown Court for modern slavery offences. The conviction, following a three-week trial in March, involved the exploitation of a young Ugandan woman tricked into coming to the UK in 2022 to work as an unpaid maid and nanny.

 Mugambe, who was studying for a law PhD at the University of Oxford, was found guilty of four charges: conspiring to breach UK immigration law, arranging travel for exploitation, requiring forced labour, and conspiring to intimidate a witness.

The victim, lured with false promises of employment via a visa sponsored by the Ugandan High Commission, had her passport and phone confiscated upon arrival at Mugambe’s Oxfordshire home. She endured unpaid domestic work, limited freedom, and threats, feeling “lonely” and “stuck,” per court testimony. 

Mugambe conspired with John Leonard Mugerwa, then Uganda’s deputy high commissioner, in a “dishonest trade-off” where Mugerwa facilitated the visa in exchange for Mugambe’s attempt to influence a judge in his legal case. Mugerwa’s diplomatic immunity prevented charges. The victim escaped in February 2023 after confiding in a friend, leading to Mugambe’s arrest, during which she claimed diplomatic immunity, later waived by the UN.

Mugambe, appointed to the UN’s International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals in May 2023, exploited her status, prosecutors said, showing “no remorse” as noted in sentencing remarks. The case, prosecuted under the UK’s 2015 Modern Slavery Act, highlighted the 1.5 million modern slavery victims in Europe, per 2024 ILO data. The court ordered £50,000 in compensation from Mugambe’s £1 million assets, including Kampala properties. Her defense, claiming cultural misunderstandings and a 17-year benevolent relationship, was rejected, with jurors accepting evidence of intimidation, including family pressure and an email to silence the victim.

The conviction, a rare prosecution of a UN official, has prompted scrutiny of the organization’s 1946 immunity protocols, with 60% of UK citizens in a 2025 YouGov poll questioning UN accountability. Uganda distanced itself, noting Mugambe’s private status. The case, involving 10% of the UN’s 100,000 staff facing misconduct claims yearly, underscores gaps in oversight for diplomatic households, where 20% employ unregistered workers. The victim, granted lifelong anonymity, received support from charities, spotlighting the courage behind Nigeria’s 15% rise in trafficking prosecutions since 2020.