The St. Lucia government has again defended its decision not to accede to a United Kingdom request to waive the diplomatic immunity of its representative at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) so that he can answer a civil case brought by his ex-wife.
Prime Minister Dr. Kenny Anthony in an address to the nation on Monday night said he is aware that the decision not to lift the diplomatic immunity of Dr. Walid Juffali “has caused concern in some quarters, given the island’s close historical ties with the United Kingdom.
“I am confident too that the motives of those who sought to compromise tarnish and impugn the reputation of this Government and our country will be exposed wherever they may be,’ Anthony said, according to a report by the St. Lucia News Online.
The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) last month wrote to St. Lucia government requesting that it waives the immunity of Juffali to allow him to answer a claim for additional financial relief in the High Court in London from Christina Estrada, whom the Saudi billionaire formally divorced in 2014.
But in a statement earlier this month, the St. Lucia government said it intends to “uphold the principle of diplomatic immunity” by allowing Juffali to invoke his diplomatic immunity in court, and had advised the FCO accordingly.
