Shirika la habari la BBC imeeleza kuwa kiongozi wa mtandao wa biashara ya ngono uliokuwa ukiwadhalilisha wanawake katika mitaa ya kifahari ya Dubai amekamatwa na mamlaka za Umoja wa Falme za Kiarabu (UAE)
Charles “Abbey” Mwesigwa, ambaye alitambulika kupitia uchunguzi wa BBC, alinaswa kamera akimweleza mwandishi aliyejifanya mteja kuwa anaweza kupanga wanawake kwa ajili ya sherehe ya ngono kwa kuanzia dola 1,000 (takribani TSh milioni 2.5)
Mwesigwa, aliyedai kuwa aliwahi kuwa dereva wa basi jijini London, pia alidai wanawake hao wangeweza kutimiza matakwa ya wateja bila kikomo
Haijulikani ni mashitaka gani hasa anakabiliwa nayo kwani mamlaka za UAE bado hazijatoa tamko rasmi kuhusu suala hili. Hata hivyo, kampuni moja ya sheria mjini Dubai imethibitisha kwa BBC kuwa Mwesigwa yupo mahabusu katika Gereza Kuu la Al Awir
Imebainika pia kuwa Interpol Uganda imetoa 'red notice' dhidi yake yaani ombi kwa polisi duniani kote kumtia mbaroni mtuhumiwa anapokuwa akisubiri kurejeshwa nchini anakotuhumiwa kufanya uhalifu
Ubalozi wa Uganda mjini Abu Dhabi wiki iliyopita ulitoa taarifa ukieleza kuwa “uchunguzi wa ulanguzi wa binadamu unaendelea na hatua zimechukuliwa na mamlaka za UAE.” BBC imeelewa taarifa hiyo inahusiana moja kwa moja na kukamatwa kwa Mwesigwa
Katika uchunguzi huo wa BBC, wasichana wa uganda walisimulia jinsi walivyohadaiwa kusafiri kwenda Dubai kwa ahadi za ajira kwenye maduka makubwa au hoteli, lakini walipoingia humo walijikuta na madeni na kulazimishwa kujiuza kinyume cha sheria.
Miongoni mwa simulizi hizo, msichana mmoja aliyepewa jina la kubuni “Mia” alisema wateja wa mtandao huo walikuwa wakidai vitendo vya kudhalilisha, ikiwemo mmoja aliyeomba kujisaidia juu ya wanawake.
Mwesigwa, hata hivyo, amekanusha tuhuma zote na kudai kwamba kazi yake ilikuwa tu kuwasaidia wanawake kupata makazi kupitia kwa wamiliki wa nyumba na kwamba walimfuata kwenye sherehe kutokana na “marafiki wake matajiri” wa Dubai.
“Nilisema mimi ni mtu wa sherehe tu, napenda kuwaleta watu matajiri mezani kwangu, ndipo wanawake wanajikusanya mezani kwangu. Hapo ndipo najuana nao, basi,” alidai Mwesigwa.
Uchunguzi wa BBC pia ulibaini vifo vya wanawake wawili waliokuwa na uhusiano na Mwesigwa – Monic Karungi na Kayla Birungi – waliodaiwa kujitupa kutoka kwenye majengo marefu ya ghorofa. Ingawa polisi walihitimisha kuwa walijiua, familia na marafiki walisema uchunguzi zaidi ulipaswa kufanyika.
Mwesigwa alisema vifo hivyo vilichunguzwa na polisi wa Dubai na akashauri BBC iwafuate kwa maelezo zaidi, lakini mamlaka hizo hazikuitikia maombi ya mahojiano
Katika Bunge la Uganda wiki iliyopita, mawaziri walijadili uchunguzi huo na kuuona kuwa “wa kushtua,” wakiahidi kushirikiana na Interpol kuhakikisha haki inapatikana
Soma pia Mkuu wa mtandao wa biashara ya ngono Dubai afichuliwa na BBC
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Dubai sex-trade ring boss held by police after BBC investigation
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.
Outside of the UK you can watch on YouTube
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
Family handout Monic smiles at the camera - she is wearing a yellow and white lace dress with a yellow shirt over the topFamily handout
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
Source: BBC
Charles “Abbey” Mwesigwa, ambaye alitambulika kupitia uchunguzi wa BBC, alinaswa kamera akimweleza mwandishi aliyejifanya mteja kuwa anaweza kupanga wanawake kwa ajili ya sherehe ya ngono kwa kuanzia dola 1,000 (takribani TSh milioni 2.5)
Mwesigwa, aliyedai kuwa aliwahi kuwa dereva wa basi jijini London, pia alidai wanawake hao wangeweza kutimiza matakwa ya wateja bila kikomo
Haijulikani ni mashitaka gani hasa anakabiliwa nayo kwani mamlaka za UAE bado hazijatoa tamko rasmi kuhusu suala hili. Hata hivyo, kampuni moja ya sheria mjini Dubai imethibitisha kwa BBC kuwa Mwesigwa yupo mahabusu katika Gereza Kuu la Al Awir
Imebainika pia kuwa Interpol Uganda imetoa 'red notice' dhidi yake yaani ombi kwa polisi duniani kote kumtia mbaroni mtuhumiwa anapokuwa akisubiri kurejeshwa nchini anakotuhumiwa kufanya uhalifu
Ubalozi wa Uganda mjini Abu Dhabi wiki iliyopita ulitoa taarifa ukieleza kuwa “uchunguzi wa ulanguzi wa binadamu unaendelea na hatua zimechukuliwa na mamlaka za UAE.” BBC imeelewa taarifa hiyo inahusiana moja kwa moja na kukamatwa kwa Mwesigwa
Katika uchunguzi huo wa BBC, wasichana wa uganda walisimulia jinsi walivyohadaiwa kusafiri kwenda Dubai kwa ahadi za ajira kwenye maduka makubwa au hoteli, lakini walipoingia humo walijikuta na madeni na kulazimishwa kujiuza kinyume cha sheria.
Miongoni mwa simulizi hizo, msichana mmoja aliyepewa jina la kubuni “Mia” alisema wateja wa mtandao huo walikuwa wakidai vitendo vya kudhalilisha, ikiwemo mmoja aliyeomba kujisaidia juu ya wanawake.
Mwesigwa, hata hivyo, amekanusha tuhuma zote na kudai kwamba kazi yake ilikuwa tu kuwasaidia wanawake kupata makazi kupitia kwa wamiliki wa nyumba na kwamba walimfuata kwenye sherehe kutokana na “marafiki wake matajiri” wa Dubai.
“Nilisema mimi ni mtu wa sherehe tu, napenda kuwaleta watu matajiri mezani kwangu, ndipo wanawake wanajikusanya mezani kwangu. Hapo ndipo najuana nao, basi,” alidai Mwesigwa.
Uchunguzi wa BBC pia ulibaini vifo vya wanawake wawili waliokuwa na uhusiano na Mwesigwa – Monic Karungi na Kayla Birungi – waliodaiwa kujitupa kutoka kwenye majengo marefu ya ghorofa. Ingawa polisi walihitimisha kuwa walijiua, familia na marafiki walisema uchunguzi zaidi ulipaswa kufanyika.
Mwesigwa alisema vifo hivyo vilichunguzwa na polisi wa Dubai na akashauri BBC iwafuate kwa maelezo zaidi, lakini mamlaka hizo hazikuitikia maombi ya mahojiano
Katika Bunge la Uganda wiki iliyopita, mawaziri walijadili uchunguzi huo na kuuona kuwa “wa kushtua,” wakiahidi kushirikiana na Interpol kuhakikisha haki inapatikana
Soma pia Mkuu wa mtandao wa biashara ya ngono Dubai afichuliwa na BBC
**********************
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.
Outside of the UK you can watch on YouTube
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
Family handout Monic smiles at the camera - she is wearing a yellow and white lace dress with a yellow shirt over the topFamily handout
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
Source: BBC
