Hyatt chair steps down over Jeffrey Epstein links
Thomas Pritzker will retire as chairman of the board of Hyatt Hotels after details of his connection to Jeffrey Epstein emerged in documents related to the evolving investigation into the notorious sex trafficker’s ties to the elite and powerful.
Pritzker said in a prepared statement that he was deeply saddened by Jeffrey Epstein and his relationship with Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s longtime associate.
“I made a terrible decision in maintaining contact with them, and there is no excuse for not maintaining distance sooner,” Pritzker said in a statement. he said.
“I condemn the actions of Epstein and Maxwell and the harm they have caused, and I deeply regret the pain they have inflicted on their victims.”
Some emails between Pritzker and Epstein are included in a cache of Epstein-related documents recently released by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Epstein died by suicide while incarcerated in 2019 after being accused of sex trafficking.
Pritzker served as Hyatt’s executive chairman for more than 20 years. His retirement takes effect immediately.
Pritzker, 75, also will not run for re-election to the board of directors at Hyatt’s annual shareholder meeting.
News of Pritzker’s retirement as chairman of Hyatt’s board of directors comes just days after Dubai announced the selection of a new chairman for logistics company DP World to replace the former chairman named in the Epstein documents.
The name of Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem was not specifically mentioned in the announcement made by the government’s Dubai Media Office. However, it was stated that Essa Kazim was appointed as the chairman of DP World and Yuvraj Narayan was appointed as the group CEO. These were the positions held by Bin Sulayem.
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