British Conservative Minister of Parliament Andrew Rosindell is criticizing St. Lucia’s choice to appoint Dr. Walid Juffali as their Permanent Representative to the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The decision initially attracted controversy when St. Lucia refused to lift Juffali’s diplomatic immunity to face a divorce suit by his ex-wife and former model Christina Estrada.
“It seems strange that a position traditionally held by St Lucia’s High Commissioner should be handed to an individual with little connection to the island, and who apparently lacks the relevant experience to advise the IMO,” said Rosindell. As a member of the Commonwealth, and whose present monarch is Queen Elizabeth II, St Lucia [has] a duty to uphold the highest political standards and levels of transparency. Diplomatic immunity is a huge privilege, and should only be exercised in the most demanding and relevant instances. To use it for personal benefit risks making a mockery of diplomatic privileges.”
The St. Lucian government, however, defended its decision, arguing in an official statement that the divorce “is a private matter and to waive Dr Juffali’s immunity for the purposes of resolving property disputes arising out of divorce proceedings will create a precedent that could compromise current and future diplomatic personnel in the United Kingdom and elsewhere.”
The couple was formally divorced in Saudi Arabia December last year, but Estrada has launched civil proceedings in the UK, seeking additional relief, including a share of her ex-husband’s properties in Britain.
