Who owns Anakin and Shmi in Episode I?

The story behind the answer

On Tatooine in The Phantom Menace, a Toydarian junk dealer holds Shmi and her son under slavery, beyond Republic jurisdiction and immune to Jedi mind tricks—forcing Qui-Gon Jinn to bargain instead. He stakes a podrace bet that frees only the boy after Anakin’s victory in the Boonta Eve Classic, while Shmi remains behind because her owner refuses to let both go.

The distractors tie to later events or different roles: Qui-Gon is the Jedi who engineers Anakin’s freedom, not a slaveholder. Cliegg Lars, a moisture farmer, purchases and frees Shmi years later (Attack of the Clones), becoming her husband. Owen Lars is Cliegg’s son—Anakin’s stepbrother—who, with Beru, later raises Luke. These connections explain why only one choice matches the Episode I situation.