Ugandan Diplomats Under Investigation for Operating Illegal Casino in Dubai Consulate

Uganda’s foreign spy agency is investigating how diplomats representing the East African country in the United Arab Emirates managed to set up an illegal casino inside the Ugandan Consulate in Dubai.

President Yoweri Museveni reportedly learned about the illicit casino at the Consulate Building in Dubai and ordered its immediate shutdown.

The External Security Organization (ESO) is also probing how privately procured gambling machines, shipped under diplomatic cover from Russia, ended up at the Consulate Building, according to a recent report by Ugandan newspaper The Daily Monitor.

Last week, Deputy Speaker of Uganda’s parliament Thomas Tayebwa expressed concern over the diplomats' misconduct, stating it could harm bilateral relations between Uganda and the UAE, affecting the 70,000 Ugandans living and working there. "Parliament pushed for this consulate to extend support and services to Ugandans who are thousands living in Dubai. Surprisingly, turning the consulate into a casino and a gambling house contravenes the laws of UAE, our laws and international laws governing diplomatic premises,” said Tayebwa.

He also demanded to know the disciplinary, diplomatic, and administrative steps being taken to address this issue. According to The Daily Monitor's investigation, the shipment of gambling machines was initially intercepted by Moscow customs officials due to being mislabeled. The inventory documents listed the contents as "a big dining table, a small dining table, legs for tables, bar chairs, souvenirs, and decorative wheels."

The shipment was allowed to proceed only after Uganda’s ambassador to Russia, Mozes Kizige, assured customs officials that the items were not for industrial or commercial purposes but were "used exclusively for official needs by the embassy in order to perform functions under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations."

The consignment arrived in the UAE on October 20, 2023, aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Moscow. It was supposed to be stored at the Dubai Consulate for three months before being transferred to Uganda for use in a hotel owned by an unnamed government official. However, the machines remained at the consulate for at least six months, where they were "mounted and operated" by two Ugandan nationals assigned as special envoys with diplomatic credentials, according to The Daily Monitor.

The operation was halted when President Museveni reportedly ordered the machines to be removed. Gambling has always been illegal in the UAE, at least until last week when the country’s newly formed gaming regulator approved its first lottery license, sparking speculation that the Emirates could be moving towards legalizing casinos.

By fLEXI tEAM