Head of Taliban Contractor DP World Resigns Amid Epstein Scandal

Sultan Ahmed bin Suleiman, chairman of Dubai-based DP World, resigned following the disclosure of his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, the notorious U.S. sex offender. DP World, one of the companies contracted by the Taliban, came under intense pressure after the revelations.

Dubai's government media office announced, without directly naming bin Suleiman, the appointment of Issa Kazim as the new chairman of the board and Yuvraj Narayan as group CEO. The changes followed international companies severing ties with DP World after Epstein-related documents surfaced. La Caisse, Canada's second-largest pension fund, halted its investments in the company, and a British investment platform stopped future investments.

Bin Suleiman, a prominent Emirati businessman often seen with Dubai's ruler and photographed with Donald Trump, had been CEO of Dubai's largest port operator since 2016 and chairman since 2007.

U.S. Department of Justice documents show bin Suleiman, head of the Taliban-contracted DP World, exchanged emails with Epstein for years, continuing after Epstein's 2008 conviction for sex trafficking and child abuse, up until less than a year before Epstein's 2019 suicide. Bin Suleiman has not been accused of any criminal wrongdoing.

On December 6, 2025, DP World's representative signed an "investment conditional agreement" with the Taliban's Ministry of Finance in the office of Abdul Ghani Baradar, the economic deputy. Abdullah Azzam, head of Baradar's office, stated the deal would develop Afghanistan's Hairatan port in the north and Torkham crossing in the east. The Taliban has not released legal details or transparent information on the contracts, and the Ministry of Finance issued no official statement.