The facts of the case of Christina Estrada and her former husband Sheikh Walid Juffali are set out in our blog post earlier last month: http://bit.ly/29BUYUz
In summary, in a judgment on 8th July 2016, Mrs Justice Roberts gave Dr Juffali three weeks to pay a settlement to Miss Estrada worth just over £75million which included a cash payment of £53 million. On 20th July 2016 Dr Juffali lost his battle with cancer, just nine days before the deadline set by the High Court to pay the settlement to Christina Estrada. The Telegraph has reported that the court deadline has come and gone and Miss Estrada is still yet to receive her multi-million pound settlement, made up of cash and assets.
Two years prior to his death, Dr Juffali entered into a contract by which he purported to ‘sell’ the bulk of his Saudi assets to his three daughters (one of them being the child of Miss Estrada) under Sharia or Islamic law for just under £512million. Miss Estrada is therefore now left with the prospect of suing her own 13 year-old daughter together with her two step-daughters in order to recover her court settlement.
The divorce of Dr Juffali and Miss Estrada was known as one of the most acrimonious in the High Court in London as Dr Juffali had unsuccessfully sought to avoid financial hearings by claiming diplomatic immunity. Even from beyond the grave Dr Juffali appears to continue to cause difficulties for Miss Estrada and although she has been awarded a financial settlement, Miss Estrada now faces another challenge before she can receive the same.
The case of Estrada and Juffali highlights the fact that enforcement issues can often be as complex, if not more so than getting the financial order in the first place. If you are concerned about reaching a financial settlement upon separation or other issues related to the enforcement of an existing order please contact a member of our team for more advice today on 0161 927 3118.