Dubai Billionaire Sultan Bin Sulayem, Net Worth 6.7 Lakh Crores, In Epstein Row

Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem was a renowned businessman, associated with the rise of Dubai as a trade hub, but revelations of his friendship and lewd correspondence with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have precipitated a sudden fall from grace.

Described by Epstein as one of his "most trusted friends", bin Sulayem was replaced on Friday as group chairman and chief executive officer of DP World.

He lost his position at the helm of one of the world's largest port groups as outrage grew over his close ties to Epstein, revealed in documents recently published by the US Department of Justice.

Bin Sulayem, who is in his early seventies, oversaw the group for "more than four decades" and was also chairman of the Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation, according to his now deleted biography on DP World's website.

Businesses 

The wealthy Emirati businessman was described by Epstein as "the right hand" of Dubai ruler and UAE Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

He is a board member of the Executive Council of Dubai, which manages government affairs and is chaired and overseen by Sheikh Mohammed.

On its website, the government body said it "supports and assists the Ruler in performing his duties and exercising his powers" and that it was "responsible for designing and adopting public policies for the emirate".

He also held positions as board member of the UAE Federal Tax Authority and Dubai Free Zones Council.

Over the decades, bin Sulayem had become associated with the rise of Dubai from a modest port town to an international trading hub.

He oversaw DP World, a business giant that accounts for more than 36 percent of the GDP of Dubai and about 12 percent of the GDP of UAE.

DP World also accounts for nearly 10 percent of global container trade.

Bin Sulayem also had a leading role in establishing Nakheel, which built The Palm -- a man-made island shaped like the eponymous tree that has become one of Dubai's most well-known landmarks.

Epstein ties 

Bin Sulayem is cited more than 9,400 times in the documents recently released by the US Department of Justice, which revealed close ties between him and Epstein, who was a convicted sex offender.

The mere mention of someone's name in the Epstein files does not in itself imply any wrongdoing by that person.

The pair maintained regular correspondence from 2009 to 2018, exchanging messages on intimate matters, meetings, introductions and business opportunities.

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".

He also reported sexual massages he received during a trip to Tokyo.

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 from DP World 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."

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)