THE BBC understands the boss of a degrading sex-trade ring that exploited vulnerable women in Dubai’s most glamorous neighbourhoods has been detained in the United Arab Emirates.
Charles “Abbey” Mwesigwa, who was identified in a recent BBC investigation as running the network, was filmed telling an undercover reporter he could provide women for a sex party at a starting price of $1,000 (£750).
He also said the women could do “pretty much everything” clients wanted them to and said he was a former London bus driver.
It is not clear what charges – if any – Mwesigwa is facing in the UAE and the country’s authorities have not yet made a public announcement about the case.
But a Dubai law firm contacted by the BBC said they had received confirmation that Mwesigwa was in custody at the Central Prison Centre in Al Awir, Dubai.
They said a red notice had been issued against Mwesigwa by Interpol Uganda.
A red notice is a request to police worldwide to detain someone pending extradition.
The Ugandan embassy in the UAE’s capital Abu Dhabi last week issued a statement that said “investigations of human trafficking are ongoing and action has been taken by the authorities of the UAE”.
The BBC understands this statement is connected to Mwesigwa’s detention.
The BBC World Service investigation featured testimonies from young Ugandan women who said they travelled to Dubai in the UAE with promises of jobs and opportunities, only to find themselves indebted and forced into prostitution.
In some cases, the women said they believed they were travelling to the UAE to work in places like supermarkets or hotels. Prostitution is illegal in Dubai.
At least one of Mwesigwa’s clients regularly asked to defecate on the women, according to “Mia”, whose name we have changed to protect her identity, and who said she was trapped by Mwesigwa’s network.
Mwesigwa has denied all the allegations made in the BBC’s investigation. He said he helped women find accommodation through landlords, and added that women followed him to parties because of his wealthy Dubai contacts.
“I told you I am just a party person who invites big spenders on my tables, hence making many girls flock [to] my table. That makes me know many girls and that’s it,” he said.
The investigation by the BBC also found that two women linked to Mwesigwa, Monic Karungi and Kayla Birungi, died after falling from high-rise apartments.
One of the women who lost her life, Monic Karungi, arrived in Dubai from western Uganda
Although their deaths were ruled as suicides, their friends and family feel the police should have investigated further.
Mwesigwa said the incidents were investigated by the Dubai police and asked us to contact them for information. They did not reply to the BBC’s request.
Numerous discussions about the investigation took place in the Ugandan parliament last week, with ministers calling it “disturbing” and pledging to work with Interpol to ensure justice.