Further diplomatic twist in Saudi magnate Walid Juffali’s very British divorce case

There have been further remarkable twists in the divorce proceedings pitting Walid Bin Ahmed Juffali against his ex-wife (of 13 years) Christina Estrada, and the associated controversy over the United Kingdom’s request to St Lucia to waive the diplomatic immunity granted to the Saudi billionaire after the Caribbean island appointed him its representative to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). In the High Court, Justice Anthony Hayden dismissed as “spurious” Juffali’s claim to have been shielded from litigation by diplomatic immunity, as he had “no pre-existing connection to St Lucia” nor “any knowledge or experience of maritime matters”.