Secrets, emails, scandal: How Epstein files brought down a UAE billionaire | World News

Dubai: The United Arab Emirates has been shaken by the revelations and negative fallout following the publication of a series of documents linked to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The files show that Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, chairman and chief executive officer of Dubai-based logistics giant DP World, exchanged hundreds of emails with Epstein over many years. In a move that took immediate effect last Friday, the announcement led to Sulayem stepping down from his leadership role at the company.

DP World, which operates port terminals on six continents, announced that Süleyman has resigned and Essa Kazım will replace him. The company also removed Süleyman’s photo from its official website. This change comes as pressure from business partners and investors has increased on the company since the Epstein files emerged.

Last week, Britain’s Development Finance Agency and Canada’s second largest pension fund, La Caisse, announced that they were suspending new investments in DP World. Additionally, the Prince of Wales’s environmental initiative Earthshot Project, which has funding ties to DP World, reported the matter to the UK Charity Commission after the files were made public. Despite the uproar, legal experts emphasize that the inclusion of the Epstein documents alone does not prove any wrongdoing.

Emails released in the Epstein files paint a picture of a long-standing and personal bond between Sulayem and Epstein that began as early as 2007. The messages show the two men grew closer over time, sharing travel plans, business advice and news articles with each other. Sometimes they played rude jokes on each other. In a June 2013 message, Epstein is quoted as describing Sulayem as “one of my most trusted friends,” and some discussions even touched on business ideas like launching a digital currency in Dubai.

The correspondence also reveals that Sulayem sought Epstein’s opinion on personal matters, including health issues affecting his family. Records show the email exchange continued until at least 2017, after Epstein was convicted in the United States in 2008 for a sex crime involving a minor.

Some of the publicly shared emails reference discussions about women, but the exact content of these messages is not always clear.

In a 2013 message, Sulayem wrote about two women who came to meet him and made comments about their appearance that showed his personal preferences. In correspondence from 2017 onwards, he mentioned a “new 22-year-old Uzbek girlfriend” and Epstein responded with a remark about her age based on her passport. The files also allege that Sulayem, who was married and once had two wives, occasionally sent rude and racially insensitive jokes to Epstein.

Beyond personal transactions, the documents show that Epstein acted as an unofficial intermediary in business dealings. A series of emails show that while DP World was seeking permission to operate the London Gateway port, it encouraged a British government official, then serving as trade minister, to treat Sulayem favorably.

The messages appear to show Epstein drafting letters and sharing private email addresses to facilitate contacts, but it is unclear whether these efforts had a direct impact on official decisions.

Some messages include references to Solomon, who hosts the British royal family. In a 2016 memo, she is quoted as telling Epstein that she welcomed Prince William to the London Gateway and later attended a Buckingham Palace event with him, to which Epstein simply replied “fun.”

The files also indicate that Epstein introduced Sulayem to high-profile figures in politics and business, including former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and former US Political Advisor Steve Bannon. In several conversations, Sulayem appeared to be communicating directly with these individuals through copying of Epstein’s emails.

Other documents suggest that Epstein offered to introduce Sulayem to various African heads of state, including the leaders of Kenya, Senegal, Gabon and the Democratic Republic of Congo, but it is unclear whether any meetings took place. The messages include a conversation in which Sulayem asked Epstein if he would accept an invitation to Donald Trump’s 2017 inauguration and meet the president there.

In previous correspondence in 2013, Sulayem mentioned that he had been invited by Prince Andrew to a lunch in honor of the UAE president.

In separate messages, both men discussed plans for trips to Epstein’s private residence in New York or his property in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Their communications even included routine arrangements, such as sharing international travel plans with each other; This revealed a long and unusually intertwined relationship that thrust DP World and its former leader into the international spotlight.