ByNews Desk- The Cradle
Epstein helped facilitate mammoth business deals for Dubai’s Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, who oversees a company responsible for roughly 10 percent of global container traffic
Details of Epstein and Bin Sulayem’s relationship come from a 2019 review conducted by JPMorgan Chase of the US bank’s ties to Epstein. The 22-page internal report was reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.
Epstein was convicted in 2008 for soliciting a minor for prostitution but was given a non-prosecution plea deal by the Miami US attorney, Alexander Acosta, who stated that he was warned to “back off” because Epstein was connected to an unnamed intelligence agency.
Epstein was again arrested in 2019 on federal sex-trafficking charges. Epstein died while in prison awaiting his trial in mysterious circumstances. Prison authorities claim he committed suicide, however, this is disputed.
The 2019 JPMorgan report said that Epstein appeared to have forged close relationships with senior executives of the bank and with government officials, including Dubai’s Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem and British politician Peter Mandelson. Epstein tried to connect Mandelson and Bin Sulayman to JP Morgan executive Jes Staley and the bank for business deals and international expansions.
The Journal notes that in December 2009, Epstein wrote emails to both Bin Sulayem and Staley to set up a meeting between them. In one email, Epstein told Staley, “Sultan is laying the groundwork for you to establish a serious presence. JPM reputation in the region is poor.”
Bin Sulayem, who is CEO of ports operator DP World, had several visits scheduled at Epstein’s townhouse between 2011 and 2014, according to documents reviewed by the Journal.
In 2006, DP World’s attempt to purchase six major US seaports caused a political controversy. The purchase had strong support from then-president George W. Bush, but the deal fell through following strong criticism from US lawmakers who argued the takeover would compromise US port security.
Playing on anti-Muslim sentiment in the US following the September 11 attacks, Democratic New York Senator Charles Schumer made a veiled reference to the fact that two Emirati citizens were among the 9/11 hijackers in criticizing the port deal.
In 2018, UAE-based Gulftainer successfully signed a 50-year agreement to operate the Port of Wilmington in Delaware, President Joe Biden’s home state.
Epstein’s close associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, was convicted of operating a sex trafficking ring with Jeffrey Epstein and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Epstein’s black book containing his client list was not released after the trial.
Numerous politicians and celebrities have been linked to Epstein, including former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, academic Noam Chomsky, former US president Bill Clinton, and current CIA director William Burns, businessmen Bill Gates and Prince Andrew of Britain.
Ghislaine is the daughter of Robert Maxwell. Born to a Yiddish orthodox Jewish family in Czechoslovakia, Robert later immigrated to Britain where he became a media mogul and Mossad asset who died under mysterious circumstances on a yacht in 1991.
Six serving and former heads of Israeli intelligence services attended Maxwell’s funeral in Israel, while Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir eulogised him and stated: “He has done more for Israel than can today be told.”
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