Dubai's DP World named a new chairman and chief executive officer on Friday, replacing its former leader Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, after the Epstein files revealed frequent correspondence between him and the convicted sex offender.
The statement did not mention bin Sulayem. But his close ties to Jeffrey Epstein were revealed in documents recently released by the US Department of Justice, where he is cited more than 9,400 times -- making international headlines and sparking condemnations.
"DP World announced the appointment of His Excellency Essa Kazim as Chairman of its Board of Directors and the appointment of Yuvraj Narayan as Group Chief Executive Officer," the group said in a statement published by the Dubai media office.
DP World took down bin Sulayem's biography from their website shortly after the statement came out.
Described by Jeffrey Epstein as one of his "most trusted friends", bin Sulayem was group chairman and chief executive officer of DP World, one of the largest port operators on the globe.
The move to replace him followed a decision on Wednesday by British government investment institution BII to suspend investments with DP World in view of the revelations.
"We are shocked by the facts emerging in the Epstein files regarding Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem. In light of the allegations, we will not be making any new investments with DP World until the required actions have been taken by the company," a spokesperson said.
On Friday, a spokesperson said: "We welcome today's decision by DP World and look forward to continuing our partnership."
BII is an investor with DP World in four ports in Africa.
- 'Right hand' -
The documents revealed that Epstein and bin Sulayem maintained regular correspondence from 2009 to 2018, exchanging messages on intimate matters, meetings, introductions and business opportunities.
The mere mention of someone's name in the Epstein files does not in itself imply any wrongdoing by that person.
The wealthy Emirati businessman was presented at the time by Epstein as "the right hand" of Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
The correspondence suggests he visited the US sex offender in his home several times, including on his island.
Bin Sulayem shared very intimate information with Epstein.
He told him details about his relationship with a student at a Dubai university, with whom he described having the "best sex I ever had amazing body" and reported sexual massages he received during a trip to Tokyo.
Their correspondence shows that bin Sulayem travelled to Israel several years before the United Arab Emirates normalised ties with the country, and that Epstein put him in contact with former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak.
Representative Thomas Massie, who along with Representative Ro Khanna had access to unredacted versions of the files, posted on X a 2009 email exchange between Epstein and a redacted sender discussing a "torture video".
Khanna then took to the House floor and read the names of six men whose names he said had been redacted, including bin Sulayem's.
Massie on Friday posted a tweet referencing bin Sulayem's resignation and said: "DOJ redacted information necessary to identify who sent Epstein the 'torture video email.' @RepRoKhanna and I first discovered his name and released it Monday. Today he resigns."
Epstein was convicted in 2008 of soliciting a minor. His extensive ties to the world's rich and powerful, especially after he was released in 2009, have become politically explosive across the globe.
He died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial for trafficking children in what was ruled a suicide.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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