Saudi is St Lucia's man in London

Christina Estrada divorced Walid Juffali last year. Photo / Getty Images

One of Saudi Arabia's most prominent billionaires has gained legal immunity in Britain since his appointment as a Caribbean diplomat representing the island nation of St Lucia.

Walid Juffali appears on the London Diplomatic List as St Lucia's "Permanent Representative" to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).

There is no public record of Juffali attending any meetings of the IMO, nor does he possess any known qualifications in maritime law. The St Lucian Government declined to say how many hours per week he spent at the country's High Commission in London.

Juffali's name first appeared on the Diplomatic List in September last year.

Countries are allowed to appoint foreign nationals as their diplomats. The Government of St Lucia did not respond to questions. However, a St Lucian source said Juffali was asked to represent the island because of his "well-established success as a businessman and previously undertaken diplomatic duties", saying he "performs all the duties expected and requested of him at the IMO".

The 60-year-old businessman is facing a financial claim from Christina Estrada, a former Pirelli calendar model whom he married in 2001 and divorced last year. In December, she laid claim to a share of her former husband's properties in Britain, which include a seven-bedroom home in a converted church in Knightsbridge.

In 2012, Juffali had married Loujain Adada, a Lebanese model and TV presenter.

Juffali chairs the Juffali Group, one of Saudi Arabia's largest conglomerates, and also holds a doctorate in neuro-science from Imperial College London. Just over a year after he was appointed to St Lucia's mission in London, the island nation announced that it would open an Honorary Consulate in Saudi Arabia.

Juffali declined to answer questions from the Daily Telegraph.