Tycoon urged to revoke Bin Sulayem appointment over Epstein

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Malaysian Tycoon urged to revoke Emirati Bin Sulayem appointment over Epstein links

July 22, 2026

DUBAI,— A coalition of civil society groups is pressing Malaysian billionaire Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary to withdraw the appointment of Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem as executive chairman of MMC Port Holdings, citing his reported links to the late Jeffrey Epstein, Reuters reported.

Reuters reported last week that the Emirati businessman was set to take charge of Malaysia’s biggest port operator.

The move comes five months after he stepped down from Dubai’s DP World amid scrutiny over email exchanges with Epstein, a convicted sex offender who died in 2019.

MMC Port runs seven ports along the Malacca Strait, one of the busiest shipping routes in the world. It operates as a unit of MMC Corporation, where Syed Mokhtar holds a controlling stake.

Neither Syed Mokhtar nor the company has issued a public response to the Reuters report.

Thirty one organizations signed a joint statement dated July 20 urging Syed Mokhtar to reverse Bin Sulayem’s appointment.

An undated photo shows Jeffrey Epstein with Dubai’s DP World Chairman and CEO Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem. Photo: House Oversight Committee/via AP

The statement pointed to financial and geopolitical concerns, noting that Britain’s development finance agency and Canada’s second largest pension fund had both paused new investment ties with DP World over the Epstein connection.

The statement said Bin Sulayem has gained significant notoriety since the Epstein files came to light, adding that if he was not seen as essential to DP World, there is little reason to view him as essential to MMC Ports.

Bin Sulayem has not addressed the email exchanges publicly and could not be reached for comment.

The appointment sparked backlash on social media, where many users raised doubts about his fitness for the role.

Malaysia’s transport minister addressed the matter last week, saying the government does not intervene in how private companies are run.

The minister added that authorities can only oversee the ownership structures of firms managing concessions and assets considered strategically important to the nation.