Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, the long-time chairman and chief executive officer of global logistics giant DP World, stepped down from his leadership roles in mid-February 2026 following renewed scrutiny arising from the latest release of emails tied to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The U.S. Department of Justice released portions of Epstein-related files that include years of correspondence between Epstein and bin Sulayem, an Emirati billionaire businessman who has led DP World for nearly two decades. Some messages reportedly date back more than a decade, and one exchange from 2009 contained a reference to a “torture video,” prompting public and political attention when unredacted versions of the communications were disclosed.
DP World confirmed bin Sulayem’s resignation on 13 February 2026, naming Essa Kazim as chairman and Yuvraj Narayan as chief executive officer. The company said the leadership change was effective immediately, though it did not directly link the resignation to the emails.
While the documents have drawn scrutiny and led some investors and partners to pause new ventures with DP World, there is no criminal charge against bin Sulayem related to Epstein’s offenses.
