Dubai’s DP World appoints new leadership after former CEO’s extensive links to Jeffrey Epstein are revealed in unsealed court documents.
DUBAI: DP World has appointed a new chairman and group chief executive officer. The move follows the revelation of extensive correspondence between the port operator’s former leader, Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The company announced the appointment of Essa Kazim as chairman and Yuvraj Narayan as group CEO. DP World removed bin Sulayem’s biography from its website shortly after the statement was issued.
Bin Sulayem was cited more than 9,400 times in recently unsealed US Department of Justice documents. Jeffrey Epstein had described the Emirati businessman as one of his “most trusted friends”.
The leadership change came after the British government’s investment institution, BII, suspended new investments with DP World. A BII spokesperson said they were “shocked by the facts emerging in the Epstein files”.
“We will not be making any new investments with DP World until the required actions have been taken by the company,” the spokesperson stated. BII later welcomed the leadership change, saying it looked forward to continuing its partnership.
Canadian pension fund manager La Caisse also suspended ties earlier this week. It resumed its partnership following bin Sulayem’s replacement, stating the company had “taken the necessary measures”.
The documents reveal regular correspondence between Epstein and bin Sulayem from 2009 to 2018. Their emails discussed intimate matters, meetings, and business opportunities.
Bin Sulayem was presented by Epstein as “the right hand” of Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The correspondence suggests bin Sulayem visited Epstein at his home and private island.
He shared intimate personal details with Epstein, including descriptions of a sexual relationship. The emails also indicate he travelled to Israel years before the UAE normalised relations with the country.
US Representative Thomas Massie posted on X about a 2009 email exchange discussing a “torture video”. Representative Ro Khanna later read the names of six men whose names had been redacted, including bin Sulayem’s.
Massie referenced the resignation in a tweet, stating he and Khanna had first discovered and released bin Sulayem’s name. “DOJ redacted information necessary to identify who sent Epstein the ‘torture video email,’” he wrote.
Jeffrey Epstein was convicted in 2008 of soliciting a minor. He died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, in a death ruled a suicide.
The Sun Malaysia
