Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem and Jeffrey Epstein, in a photo released on December 18, 2025, by the Democratic members of the US House of Representatives. HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE DEMOCRATS/ LE MONDE
The Epstein scandal was the talk of the town in Dubai, a city in the Gulf known for its brightly lit skyscrapers and large shopping centers. Not only did it tarnish the image of the city-state, but the scandal and its sordid revelations also shook one of the United Arab Emirates' leading economic engines, alongside Abu Dhabi. On Friday, February 13, Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, the 70-year-old head of the global logistics giant Dubai Port World (DP World), was abruptly toppled from his pedestal.
Bin Sulayem lost both his roles as chairman of the board and CEO of the company after being mentioned several thousand times in the millions of pages of records on the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein released by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) at the end of January. The thousands of emails the two men exchanged, which discussed business opportunities, as well as escort girls and sexual massages, ultimately destroyed the prestige of bin Sulayem, a senior servant to the ruling Maktoum dynasty in Dubai for more than 40 years.
