Head of DP World leaves company after Epstein links revealed

The head of global ports operator DP World has left the company after mounting pressure over his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem's exit as chairman and chief executive comes after newly-released files showed the Emirati mogul appears to have exchanged hundreds of emails with Epstein over a decade.

Being mentioned in the files is not a sign of any wrongdoing, and the BBC has approached Sulayem for a comment.

DP World announced the appointment of Essa Kazim as chairman and Yuvraj Narayan as chief executive on Friday. The company made no mention of Sulayem, and a photograph of the Dubai businessman appeared to have been removed from its website.

DP World, the Dubai-owned logistics giant that runs port terminals across six continents and plays a significant role in global trade infrastructure, has come under increasing pressure over recent days from businesses it works with.

Earlier this week, the UK development finance agency and Canada's second largest pension fund La Caisse said they were suspending new investment into the firm.

And the Prince of Wales' Earthshot project, which received funding from DP World, was reported to the UK Charity Commission after Sulayem appeared in the files.

The documents reveal what appears to have been a close and wide-ranging relationship between one of the Gulf's most influential business figures and Epstein.

Sulayem was also accused by two US lawmakers, Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, of being one of "six powerful men" who were associated with the disgraced financier.

The congressmen, who co-sponsored the law that compelled the justice department to release the Epstein files last year, say they were improperly redacted.

Among the redactions flagged by Massie on 9 February was a document appearing to show an email from Epstein in 2009 referring to a "torture video". The recipient replied that they would be travelling between China and the US. The context is not known.

US officials disclosed that Sulayem was the recipient behind that email from Epstein.