DP World appoints new chairman and group CEO following departure of Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem over ties to intercourse offender.
Revealed On 13 Feb 2026
United Arab Emirates-based logistics large DP World has appointed a brand new chairman and CEO, after coming beneath strain over former firm chief Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem’s ties to the late intercourse offender Jeffrey Epstein
The UAE authorities’s Dubai Media Workplace stated Friday that Essa Kazim had been appointed chairman and Yuvraj Narayan as group CEO of DP World, one of many world’s largest logistics corporations, which claims to deal with about 10 p.c of world commerce.
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The roles have been beforehand held by bin Sulayem, considered one of Dubai’s strongest and well-connected individuals, who has led DP World – which operates greater than 60 ports and terminals worldwide – for greater than 4 a long time.
Sulayem’s prolonged tenure on the helm of the logistics large got here to an finish in a firestorm of controversy over his hyperlinks with the disgraced financier, after just lately declassified documents confirmed the pair had exchanged messages for years earlier than and after Epstein pleaded responsible in 2008 to soliciting a minor for prostitution.
Salacious exchanges
The pleasant exchanges between the 2 embody discussions about offers and likewise point out bin Sulayem visiting Epstein’s non-public island whereas sharing contacts in enterprise and politics.
The 2 males additionally shared salacious feedback about ladies, with bin Sulayem’s e-mail handle that includes a correspondence wherein Epstein remarked, “I liked the torture video.”
Bin Sulayem’s identify was blacked out in paperwork launched by the Division of Justice, however on Tuesday, Democratic Consultant Ro Khanna identified him within the Home of Representatives, together with 5 others whose names had been redacted, saying the federal government had shielded their names “for no obvious motive”.
Since Khanna’s speech to Congress, the Justice Division partially unredacted a number of the information he pointed to.
Companions droop ties
Whereas the information referenced by Khanna didn’t seem to implicate bin Sulayem or the opposite males in any particular crimes, the revelation of bin Sulayem’s years-long friendship with Epstein prompted the United Kingdom improvement funding company, British Worldwide Funding, and Canada’s second-largest pension fund, La Caisse, to announce that they had paused future ventures with DP World in response.
La Caisse, which in 2022 invested $2.5bn in Jebel Ali Port, the Jebel Ali Free Zone and the Nationwide Industries Park, three of DP World’s flagship belongings within the UAE, said on Tuesday that it might not perform additional investments till it make clear bin Sulayem’s hyperlinks to Epstein and took “mandatory actions”.
On Friday, British Worldwide Funding welcomed DP World’s appointment of a brand new chief govt and stated it might resume funding alongside the corporate.
“We welcome at the moment’s choice by DP World and look ahead to persevering with our partnership to advance the event of key African buying and selling ports to unlock the continent’s international buying and selling potential,” a spokesperson for the company stated.
Epstein was convicted of procuring a minor for prostitution in 2008, spending a few 12 months in jail earlier than his launch.
His contacts with a community of rich and influential figures continued within the wake of his conviction till an investigation into the rich financier was reopened in 2019.
Epstein died in jail that 12 months whereas dealing with costs of intercourse trafficking underage women.
