Author, lyricist, and filmmaker Sezan Mahmud has drawn connections between sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein’s unsealed files and Bangladesh’s current political and economic landscape under the Yunus-led interim government. He has highlighted Emirati businessman Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem’s prominent mentions in the Epstein documents, his ties to DP World (which has been awarded the lease for Chittagong Port’s New Mooring Container Terminal or NCT), and broader alleged networks involving Israel, the UAE, and global elites.
He frames these as part of a “dirty, powerful circle” using exploitation for control, extending to Bangladesh’s port deals and sovereignty concerns.
Recent developments in the Epstein files (released in late 2025 and early 2026 by the US Department of Justice) confirm Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem as one of the most frequently mentioned figures from the Middle East, with thousands of pieces of correspondence. Emails show a long-standing personal friendship dating back over a decade, including discussions on business, politics, and personal matters.
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Epstein described bin Sulayem as a “close personal friend” known for more than eight years (as of 2010), and they exchanged photos of casual moments like cooking together. Some emails reference arrangements for a Russian “masseuse” from Epstein’s network to train in Turkey, and Epstein advising on social or intimate matters. Bin Sulayem also ordered multiple 23andMe DNA kits through Epstein’s assistant in 2017, shipped to Dubai as gifts. Importantly, no documents directly implicate bin Sulayem in Epstein’s criminal activities; appearances in the files often stem from social and business circles rather than proven wrongdoing.
Bin Sulayem, Chairman and CEO of Dubai-based DP World (a major global ports operator), visited Bangladesh in April 2025 during the Bangladesh Investment Summit. He met Chief Adviser Prof. Muhammad Yunus at the State Guest House Jamuna on April 9, 2025, to discuss investment opportunities in ports and logistics and scopes for getting a contract bypassing tender. Yunus welcomed the partnership, calling Bangladesh a “land of opportunities.”
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This aligns with the article’s mention of a visit and tweet by the Chief Adviser. DP World has since been awarded the long-term concession to operate Chattogram Port’s NCT, sparking widespread protests from port workers (including indefinite strikes in early February 2026), legal challenges in Bangladesh’s Supreme Court, and accusations of hasty, secretive “anti-national” deals by critics like economist Prof. Anu Muhammad and groups such as Bangladesh Jubo Arthanitibid Forum. The High Court initially upheld the legality of the move, but the Appellate Division issued orders for status quo hearings amid sovereignty concerns, with operations disrupted and millions in trade affected.
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Sezan Mahmud’s claims of Epstein facilitating connections between bin Sulayem and former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak are supported by documents. Epstein acted as an intermediary for meetings and investments in Israeli security/tech firms years before the 2020 Abraham Accords normalised UAE-Israel ties.
Emails show Epstein brokering such backchannel arrangements. Separately, bin Sulayem’s DP World has major investments in Somaliland (including Berbera port, worth around $440 million), and Epstein files include discussions on Somaliland’s recognition (a file titled “The recognition of Somaliland – a brief history” was shared in 2018). Israel recognised Somaliland as independent on December 26, 2025, becoming the only country to do so, amid speculation about strategic Red Sea access and DP World’s regional interests.
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Regarding Isabel Maxwell (sister of Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s accomplice), reports confirm she served as a senior adviser to Grameen America (Yunus’s US-based microfinance affiliate), introduced via Epstein’s networks. This ties into broader allegations of Yunus’s indirect associations with Epstein-linked figures (e.g., Bill and Hillary Clinton, Bill Gates) through philanthropy, though Yunus appears nowhere directly in the files and has dismissed such claims as smears.
Mahmud concludes by urging justice for victims and awareness of powerful networks influencing Bangladesh, portraying the NCT deal and related ties as part of a larger pattern of external control. While Epstein’s files reveal elite interconnections (including UAE-Israel channels predating formal diplomacy), direct evidence linking them to criminality in Bangladesh remains circumstantial and unproven in court documents. The port lease controversy continues amid domestic backlash over transparency, national interest, and timing ahead of elections.
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