A person who owns a place called Cloud-9 Massage and Chill Outs in Bukaya West, Uganda, is facing serious charges. The owner, Patricia Nantume, also known as Malaika, is accused of doing things that go against the law. She has been charged with three counts of homosexuality and one count of trafficking people.
Nantume, 26 years old, appeared in front of a judge named Egessa Masaaka. The judge said that her case needs to be dealt with by the High Court, which is a higher level of court. Nantume was sent to Bugungu Prisons and will come back to court on September 6.
The charges are related to a law called the Anti-Homosexuality Act (2023). The prosecutors, led by Amos Mpaka, say that Nantume and someone else (who is not caught yet) did things that are against this law. They say that between April and August 2023, they did sexual things with someone of the same sex at the place she owns, Cloud-9 Massage and Chill Outs.
The documents that were shown in court also say that Nantume let her place be used for these illegal activities. They also accuse her of transporting and using another person, Ms. Nahabwe, for sexual purposes.
Because of this, Nantume was also charged with promoting homosexuality and trafficking people. The prosecution wants more time to investigate the case before deciding if she should go to the High Court. But Nantume’s defenc team, led by Alice Nambalilwa, wants the investigation to be done quickly.
Last week, four people, including Nantume, were arrested after a raid on her massage parlor. It was said that the place was doing illegal things related to homosexuality. However, some of the arrested people were later released because they were seen as victims or potential witnesses.
The police found items like a special toy, flavoured tobacco, oils, video cameras, and a camera stand during the raid on the massage parlor.
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