Emails show Epstein maintained ties with influential Emirati businessman after conviction

By Fatma Zehra Solmaz

ISTANBUL (AA) - An influential Emirati businessman exchanged messages with disgraced American financier Jeffrey Epstein for years, continuing well over a decade after Epstein’s 2008 conviction for sex offenses in the US, according to a media report on Tuesday.

Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, chairman and chief executive officer of Dubai-based logistics giant DP World, is one of the emirate’s most influential business figures. According to emails reviewed by Bloomberg News, he was among prominent executives and political figures who continued corresponding with Jeffrey Epstein after his imprisonment on charges that included procuring a minor for prostitution.

Emails show that bin Sulayem sent unusually personal messages to Epstein. In a September 2015 exchange, he referred to a renewed relationship with a foreign exchange student in Dubai in "intimate and boastful" terms.

The emails indicate the two men shared business and political contacts, sought to facilitate deals for one another, and discussed personal matters. The correspondence also shows bin Sulayem frequently wrote about visiting Epstein’s private Caribbean island and offered assistance when Epstein explored plans for a private resort.

Bin Sulayem and DP World did not respond to multiple requests for comment, Bloomberg said.

Emails indicate Epstein connected bin Sulayem with figures in his network for years, including New York real estate investor Andrew Farkas, who US Justice Department records suggest may have introduced the two. Correspondence also shows bin Sulayem planned to attend a marina opening near Epstein’s private island in 2007.

A spokesperson for Farkas said he has acknowledged that his relationship with Epstein was based on business, expressed regret over the association, and condemned Epstein’s crimes.

At the time, bin Sulayem led both DP World and its state-owned parent, Dubai World, overseeing a broad business portfolio before stepping down in 2010 following the global financial crisis.

Emails show Epstein offered to facilitate business introductions, including a proposed connection to Gene Pressman from the founding family of Barneys New York, though it remains unclear whether such referrals resulted in concrete deals.

Emails show Epstein attempted to connect bin Sulayem with several high-profile figures, including Hyatt Hotels Chairman Tom Pritzker, retail billionaire Les Wexner, and banker Jes Staley, then a senior executive at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

The correspondence details efforts to arrange meetings and explore potential deals, with Epstein at times positioning himself as an intermediary.

Pritzker declined to comment, while Staley later became CEO of Barclays Plc and was barred by the UK regulator for misleading authorities about the extent of his relationship with Epstein, according to the broadcaster.

Emails released by the US Justice Department show bin Sulayem and Steve Bannon discussed a possible meeting in the UAE in 2018, though it is unclear if it occurred, and Bannon did not comment.

Days before his 2019 arrest, Epstein circulated a contact list that included bin Sulayem, listed as “sultan,” and what appears to be bin Sulayem’s final message to Epstein, sent the day of the arrest, contained only a non-functioning attachment.