Ugandan Diplomats in Hot Water for Running Illegal Casino in Dubai Consulate

Posted on: August 4, 2024, 04:50h. 

Last updated on: August 4, 2024, 04:50h.

Philip Conneller @casinoorgphilc Read More
Expertise: Gaming Business, Regulation, Tribal Gaming.

Uganda’s foreign spy agency is examining how diplomats representing the East African country in the United Arab Emirates were able to install an illegal casino inside the Ugandan Consulate in Dubai.

Uganda, Dubai consulate, casino, illegal casino, Yoweri Museveni, Mozes Kizige, External Security Organization
Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni, above, reportedly caught wind of the existence of an illegal casino at the Consulate Building in Dubai and ordered it to be stopped. (Image: The Independent)

The External Security Organization (ESO) is also looking into 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.

Deputy Speaker of Uganda’s parliament Thomas Tayebwa said last week that the situation was a violation of domestic, UAE, and international law. He demanded answers from the government.

Not So Diplomatic

Tayebwa is concerned that the misbehavior of diplomats could impact bilateral relations between the two nations, causing difficulties for the 70,000 Ugandans who live and work in the UAE.

“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,” Nkunyingi said.

“As well, we want to know what disciplinary, diplomatic, and administrative steps have been undertaken to address this development,” he added.

According to an investigation by the Monitor, before leaving Russia, the shipment of gambling machines was intercepted by Moscow customs officials because it had clearly been mislabeled.

It contained “a big dining table, a small dining table, legs for tables, bar chairs, souvenirs, and decorative wheels,” according to the inventory documents.

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

All Systems Go

The consignment arrived in the UAE on October 20, 2023 aboard an Ethiopian Airline flight from Moscow. It was scheduled to be stored at the Dubai Consulate for three months before being transferred to Uganda where it was destined for a hotel owned by an unnamed government official.

But the machines remained in the consul for at least six months, where they were “mounted and operated” by two Ugandan nationals. These individuals were assigned as special envoys with diplomatic credentials, according to the Monitor.

The plug was pulled on the operation when Uganda President Yoweri Museveni reportedly caught wind of it and ordered the machines to be removed, the Monitor reports.

Gambling has always been illegal in the UAE – at least, until last week, when the country’s recently formed gaming regulator approved its first lottery license. This has prompted speculation that the Emirates could be on the road to legalizing casinos.