Newly disclosed correspondence from the U.S. Department of Justice reveals a decades-long professional and personal relationship between Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, chairman and CEO of global logistics giant DP World, and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The emails, spanning from 2007 until weeks before Epstein’s 2019 death, depict a complex alliance between one of the United Arab Emirates’ most powerful business figures and the disgraced financier.
Sulayem, who has played a pivotal role in Dubai’s economic transformation and leads the world’s fourth-largest port operator, maintained extensive communication with Epstein even after his 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor. The correspondence reveals discussions ranging from business ventures and political connections to explicit conversations about women and sexual encounters.
The documents indicate Sulayem visited Epstein’s private Caribbean island, Little Saint James, with the Emirati executive writing in June 2013: “I really had a very nice time at your island.” Following Hurricane Irma in 2017, Sulayem offered engineering resources to make the property “hurricane proof,” describing his UAE national engineer as “the best” for the job.
Business collaborations extended to Sulayem assisting Epstein’s attempts to acquire additional private islands. Evidence suggests Epstein purchased Great St James Cay through a shell company with Sulayem as beneficial owner after the original owner refused to sell directly to Epstein due to his criminal record. In a 2016 email to an architecture firm, Sulayem described Epstein as “a very dear friend and a business associate” seeking to develop a private resort.
The relationship provided mutual access to powerful networks. Epstein facilitated introductions between Sulayem and former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, right-wing strategist Steve Bannon, and former UK Business Secretary Peter Mandelson. Correspondence shows Sulayem lobbied the UK government regarding a £1.8 billion port project on the Thames, which DP World ultimately developed as London Gateway.
Sulayem regularly updated Epstein on DP World’s global dealings, including sensitive negotiations involving bilateral agreements between UAE and Russia. In one email, he mentioned receiving “an official invitation from Putin office for a one on one meeting to get the green light directly from him.”
The personal correspondence contains explicit content, with Sulayem frequently using degrading language about women, sharing details of sexual encounters, and making jokes about infidelity. In one message, he wrote: “After several attempts for several months we managed to meet in NY. there is a misunderstanding she wanted some BUSINESS! while i only wanted some PUSSYNESS!” Epstein responded: “Praise Allah, there are still people like you.”
The relationship has prompted recent consequences, with firms in the UK and Canada suspending future ties with DP World. Quebec’s La Caisse pension fund, which holds a 45% stake in DP World Canada, and British International Investment have both paused future investments pending “necessary actions” from DP World.
While there is no suggestion Sulayem participated in criminal activity, the extensive correspondence reveals a deeply personal friendship that blended business, political networking, and inappropriate personal discourse between a global business leader and a convicted sex offender.