Transcription
One of Epstein's closest friends, closest confidants, and most important confidants was Sultan Ahmed bin Sullean, the head of Dubai Ports World, an incredibly important person in Dubai and in the United Arab Emirates in general and in the Middle East and in the world at large.
And now I'd like to invite to the stage the visionary man and leader behind what DP World has been trying to do, the chairman and CEO of DP World himself, Dr. Sultan.
And of all of the Epstein relationships that I have deep dived into, this one more than any other really reflects the fact that it only takes a few bad apples in strategically placed positions to make a system go rotten. Because actually in this story, there are some good guys. There are some heroes, which is not always the case in the Epstein story, but a couple of people in important positions enable and allow Epstein to wreak such evil on the world. And Sullem is just such a person in power. But he has gotten nowhere near the coverage I think he deserves. Lemon, the biggest newspaper in France, wrote that bins does not appear to have been involved in Epstein's scheme for trafficking of minors. Really? Cuz I wouldn't say that at all. So, let's dive into it.
Epste and Sultan Venulam are connected in 2007 via a mutual friend appears to be Andrew Farcus, who is a New York City real estate mogul, real estate developer. And the two, Epste and Suliam, they hit it off immediately. They take an immediate liking to one another. Epstein emails Suliam pretty early in their relationship and says, "You are the only person I have met who is as crazy as me." And he invites him to Stanner's Island, of course. He says, "Of course you should stay with me if you end up in the Caribbean for the opening of St. Thomas."
But also very early on there's this. Epstein is very interested in a spa, seemingly a Turkish spa that Suliam may or may not own in some capacity. Epstein says, "One, can I get the plans for your spa?" And then he says, "Can we go to Turkey?" And these are the dates. Then a few weeks later, he follows up and says, "Great spa plans. Thanks. When can we go to Turkey?" Now years later, he says, "We should all go to Turkey in May to the spa. You, me, and Karum." And years after that, Epstein enlists Suliam's help in getting one of Epstein's personal assistants, personal masseuse's training at a Turkish spa. Suliam emails the CEO of Rickos Hotels and Spas and says, "She works as the personal masseuse at the private spa of our friend Jeffrey Epstein. I would appreciate if you can arrange for her to work as trainee at RXOS Antalya Spa so she gains better experiences." He also clarifies that she should be trained on all the treatments. Okay, there's this recurring interest by Epstein in a spa that seems to be in Turkey that may or may not be owned by or over which Suliam has some sort of influence. Come back to that.
Continuing along the relationship that is forming between Epstein and Suliam. Early on, Epstein is doing what Epste does. He's running the Epstein playbook, ingratiating himself with bins by showing off all that he can do for him. He says again very early on, "I have the three largest private equity people in the United States excited about visiting Dubai." This was in 2007. Dubai had not yet really hit its peak yet as a global financial center, a global hub. It was still on its way to trying to get there. He says, "Vanity Fair editors would love to do a story of your choosing." So, he's offering Binsulam press and access and prestige in the United States.
Now, what's interesting is that as far as we know, Epstein did not actually monetize his relationship with Benuleam. directly. It was unusual for him in these close kinds of friendships. And I mean, Ben Sullium didn't send money to Epste or any of his companies directly as far as I know. But we'll also find out there are a lot of secrets, a lot of secret financial dealings in this world and in this story. So, who can really say what's true? Nevertheless, the question is, what was Epstein getting out of this relationship? Why was he so intent to collect bins for his social Ponzi scheme that he was running?
Well, in 2007 when Epstein and Benulam first met, Benulam had just been promoted as chairman of DP World, which as I say was a sprawling conglomerate in the United Arab Emirates. It has many subsidiaries controlling investments around the world, property around the world, Barney in New York at one point, the major department store, spas, hotels, as well as, as the name suggests, ports. Dubai Port World is incredibly important in the world of trade. And the thing about global trade is that yes, it's how Zara jeans go from the United States and China and Africa and are found everywhere. And it's also how illegal arms trading and diamond trading and human trading do that as well. Ports are central to all kind of trade, including illegal trade. And Dubai in particular, of course, they don't want to acknowledge this, but has set themselves up, I would say arguably intentionally, to be very appealing to all sorts of criminal illicit activity.
You have the perfect storm of factors. Dubai geographically is located within an 8-hour flight of twothirds of the world's population. And then some very preient leaders in Dubai decided to build off of that natural advantage with a series of policies that made it very businessfriendly, very high in efficiency, low in transparency. It's easy to set up a company there where you can hide or be a little shifty about who the true owners of the companies are, shell company like structures. They of course have no income taxes. They have no import export taxes in their free trade zones, which means that more containers, more shipments happen through their ports every single day, which makes it harder to scrutinize. And also, they just haven't seemed that interested in scrutinizing it. And on top of this, they are a luxury goods capital of the world. Between luxury high-rise apartments, the Lamborghinis, the designer clothing, Dubai has simultaneously said, "Hey, we're not going to look that closely about what you're bringing in and out of our ports." And also if you happen to bring a suitcase with dirty dirty money into one of our gold souks, the gold markets that we just have lying around and that that dirty dirty money becomes some gold and some Louisboutuitton and an apartment in the Burj Khalicha. We're just not going to say anything.
And while I'm being somewhat hyperbolic with this, the UAE has made efforts to clamp down on money laundering because they want to be allowed in the global financial system. I don't think they're trying that hard and and I don't think they actually care. I think they are perfectly happy for certain kinds of illegal activity to flow through their borders because they know it allows them to remain globally competitive while they are a very small emirate in a small country. The United Arab Emirates in general is small in the Gulf region and Dubai itself doesn't have oil unlike Abu Dhabi, one of the other Emirates and unlike its neighbors in the Gulf. So this is part of its strategic advantage. And one final thing on this that matters for all the reasons that they are geographically and otherwise well positioned for money laundering for illicit financial activities to flow through them. They are for similar reasons very attractive for human trafficking.
It's very easy to get a visa into the UAE. didn't have to appear before anyone or you didn't have to make a case or you know show a bank statement or whatever. Good honest people we take advantage of the accessibility. Bad people also take advantage of that. It's part of the model. It's a part of attracting the global business personnel and oh yeah their senior leadership seem to be in some way or another participants in it.
Which brings us back to bins himself. At one point, Vinsulam writes to Epstein, "By the way, the Ukrainian and the Muldoven arrived. Big disappointment. The Muldoven is not as attractive as the picture, while the Ukrainian is very beautiful." He then at another point describes meeting up with a 21-year-old Ukrainian law student. He also talks to Epstein about somebody they seem to mutually know, and he says, "Yes, after several attempts for several months, we managed to meet in New York. There was a misunderstanding. She wanted some business while I only wanted some pussiness." And Epstein responds, "Praise Allah, there are still people like you."
Epste at one point emails, "Um, call me over the weekend regarding Victoria's Secret." And then there's just a whole bunch of emails by Suliam to Epstein, which I can only really describe as like dirty old man jokes. He just loves weird dirty old man jokes. Parables about priests who nuns essentially because they trick them into giving them [ __ ] It's that kind of thing a lot like relentlessly. He doesn't want to [ __ ] his wives. He has multiple wives that he wants to go out and [ __ ] other things. But it's not jokes. I mean, he is doing these things. And then there's this. He's one of us.
Sulleam emails to Epstein about Michael Sailor, the Bitcoin mogul, who I actually haven't seen named or referenced much in connection to the Epstein files. Maybe I've just missed it. Nevertheless, Epste responds to that and says, "No, lots of drugs." And Ben Suilam says, "Oh my god, no, no, I do only girls." Thank you for the heads up. I will stay away. Implicit in that, in my opinion, is this idea that the one of us is connected to the girls. He's one of us.
Epstein writes actually twice about Joy Itto Sultan Benulian. And Itto at the time was the head of MIT's media lab, though he is also a Japanese venture capitalist more broadly. And Joyito, by the way, who is on only one of the threads where Epstein uses the exact phrase, he's one of us. Joyito responds and says, glad to be on the Epstein team with you. Winky face. Okay. Eduardo is one of us, Epstein says to Benam as he introduces him to an Italian businessman. And then again, he's one of us, Epstein writes to Binsulam as he makes him an introduction to somebody whose name is redacted. Why is that redacted?
So, look, um I don't know exactly what he is one of us means. I can tell you what it doesn't mean. I can tell you it's definitely not about a religious or ethnic affiliation because in the one of us, we have a Muslim, a Jew, a Christian, and a Shinto. Joy Itto is a according to online is a Shinto, which is like a Japanese religion of some sort with elements of Buddhism. I we we really run the gamut ethnically and religiously is my point. So depravity if that's what we're referring to really doesn't discriminate is I guess the point.
Nevertheless, uh the real pinnacle here and what you have maybe seen reported on if you have seen any reporting at all on bins as I say it has been very under reportported in my opinion is an email from Epstein in which he says, "Where are you? Are you okay? I loved the torture video." This was another email that was originally redacted. The recipient of this message was redacted. Trump administration protecting Ben Sullium, I guess, not the victim. Some of the victim's names accidentally unredacted Benulam. He's protected from the torture video release. Anyway, Thomas Massie, Congressman Thomas Massie is the one who ultimately unmasked who was the actual recipient of this email and revealed that it was bins.
But there is this incredible irony metaphor to their relationship. Let me spell this out. Suliam emails Epste and says, "Some weeks ago you asked me if the Quran says Muslims can't be friends with Jews and Christians. Of course it doesn't. Please watch this 5-minute clip." And Epste then responds. He engages with it. Sulam responds. They have a little dialogue about the Quran basically. And ultimately Epste says, "All I know for sure is that you are one of my most trusted friends in every sense of the word. You have never let me down. Not once, not half of once. And I greatly appreciate the time we spent together."
Now, in a vacuum, if you knew literally nothing else about these two people, that would be kind of heartwarming. It would be nice. You know, you have this Jewish American, this Arab Muslim, Emirati coming together, having a dialogue about their cross-cultural differences and deciding that their friendship is more important. Accept that the thing that allows them to have this this crossculture bond, the the friendship, the piece that allows them to say religion doesn't matter because what we really both love is is just the the is the is the depravity. And that's obvious because what comes next in this exact email thread is Suliam responding to Epste being like, "All I know for sure is you're like one of my most trusted friends." For Suliam to say, "Thank you, my friend. I'm off to sample a fresh 100% female Russian at my yacht." So wholesome, such god Allah fairing, wholesome folk. If this doesn't feel like a a metaphor for the state of religion in the world today, I really don't know what is. And I laugh, but of course, it's it's actually quite dark.
And I want to say I understand nuance. I understand the way the world works. people can make the choices they want as consenting adults. I'm not puritanical about that. But at the same time, the system in which all of that occurs, the yacht girl thing, 100% of the time that exists within a system that is also incredibly overrun with actual just non-conceptual relationships and sexing and yachts and Dubai, they are at the center of this. I've heard multiple times from different people that there's some instances where they will either drug the girls or force them into sex work. Girls are literally paid to stand in a circle and they will throw rocks at them. They will on them. They will on them. You'd have your mobile phone and your passport taken from you to go on these trips which if you're on the other side of the world, you're not in your home country, you're going to feel terrified about what to do. If you haven't heard of the term Dubai portaotti, I would not recommend looking it up, but it gives you a sense of just how closely aligned Dubai itself, the United Arab Emirates itself is with a certain kind of system. And Sultan Pinsulium, for many reasons globally, sits at the center of that system. And so when I hear Suliam talk about his 100% fresh Russian that he's going to taste, I wonder maybe that woman knows exactly what she's getting herself in for. Maybe she's agreed and consented 100% to whatever is about to happen. Or maybe maybe she thinks she's there to be eye candy, to serve drinks, to flirt and look pretty and instead she is going to be required to go far beyond that.
Which brings us back to this question, this idea of whether or not bins was himself, if if we have any emails, anything that ties him himself to the trafficking operation that Epstein was running because the answer is yeah.
So, while we're on the subject of yachts, 2010, Epstein and Suliam's friendship is in full swing at this point. There's a massive raid by Turkish police on a yacht that's parked outside off the coast of Turkey in the middle of the Mediterranean. And a series of businessmen are on this yacht and they are arrested foring and a prostitution ring. Girls are taken off the boat ranging in ages from 16 to 23. And one of the men who is arrested is a man named Teik Arif who is a Kazakhstani Turkish businessman who the Turkish police had been wiretapping had been investigating for months and months prior as part of this wiretapping effort. They had caught Arf and Associates discussing bringing underage girls from Eastern Europe. The madam that they're working with specifically says that she is sending somebody who is 16 years old and sending somebody who is not 16 yet. She will be 16 on the 20th. And Olga, the the madam also says, "Do you want all models for sex? I should know it because many don't agree for sex." And the response is, "Olga client wants sex." So they are explicitly having conversations about sex and underage girls.
And all of this is happening and ultimately flows through the Ritzus Bellic Antalia Spa and Hotel. the exact same spa that's bins coordinates to have Epstein's personal masseuse, personal assistant, private whatever the whatever go to complete her training at. And it is also the spa that I think Epstein was eagerly trying to get to when he first met Ben Sullium. Now, Teeth Reef, the businessman who was accused as being the ring leader of all of this, was later revealed to be a secret owner of the Rexos Bellic Antalia Hotel and Spa where all of this was going down. And when I say secret, I mean truly there was paperwork filed in the Caribbean to completely hide and obfiscate his ownership levels, his any of his involvement in this particular spa and hotel. But his involvement was then released in a leak that happened in a totally separate case. And the question to me is, is Sultan bins similarly also a silent secret partner in this spa or in this hotel? Because that first email from Epstein, first email specifically says, "Can I get the plans for your spa?" And now I've checked and I can find no record of Binsulam or DP World or any of their subsidiaries back in 2007 owning or controlling any spas. It's entirely possible that when Epstein said your spa, he was speaking more flippantly. He didn't mean it literally and Suliam just had plans for I don't know. But this is something I would look into. It's something I if if one of Epstein's very close friends seems to have a close connection with and maybe some ownership ties to a place where authorities already know sex trafficking is happening through. I would want to look into that. You know what I mean? Especially in light of this.
Stay with me here. Today I filed in the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands a civil lawsuit on behalf of the government of the Virgin Islands against the estate of Jessprey Epstein and six associated Virgin Islands entities through which Jeffrey Epstein carried out an expansive scheme of human trafficking and sexual abuse of young women and underage girls right here in the Virgin Islands. The US Virgin Islands, which by the way is where the filings that hid Teic Arief's ownership of the spa in Anatolia, the Bellic Spa, were housed. That was through a Caribbean entity, as so often happens. The US Virgin Islands brought a case against Epstein's estate and the estate of Leon Black, who I've covered in a previous episode, stating that Epstein was running an organized criminal enterprise, an organized sex trafficking ring through the US Virgin Islands. They were bringing a racketeering case. We would call it a RICO case in the US. It was the island's equivalent of a RICO case. And they implicated Leon Black because they said the $200 million, the hundreds of millions of dollars that Black paid to Epstein through the years funded Epstein's sex trafficking operation, including his expansion to another island called Great St. James. Epste owned Little St. James in the Caribbean. He then bought the island next door called Great St. James. But the thing is thing is the owners of Great St. James, the previous owners of Great St. names were a Danish couple, one of the few heroes in this story, who had refused to sell the island on multiple occasions. They refused to sell it to Epstein on the basis of his 2008 pedophilia conviction. But then in 2016 they agreed to sell it to somebody who they believed was a completely independent individual, an Emirati billionaire named Sultan bins who had granted power of attorney to a a US Virgin Island lawyer to execute a sale of Great St. James on behalf of his billionaire Amirati client. Now, I obviously don't have to tell you that this entire thing was a front for Epstein to calm this couple into selling him the island because they refused to do it directly. And now, Binsulam denies that he knew that this happened in his name at all, which boggles the mind. Bogles the mind that that could be true.
So, if it's not true, Benam is is not telling the truth that he had no idea that this happened in his name. You now have Suliam with associations with potential ownership stakes ties to two physical locations through which sex trafficking was occurring. And if the US Virgin Islands is interested in going after Leon Black for the way he facilitated Epstein's acquisition of Great St. James Island, I would think you might want to look into the facilitation by Ben Sullium, whose name was the one that was literally used to purchase the damn thing.
Now, they won't they won't look into it. The US won't because they've stopped this case. They've let it drop. Probably a whole episode you could do just on that story. The attorney general who went after Epstein's estate, who went after Leon Black was sumearily fired, let go. And that timing, interestingly, corresponded with her trying to expand the case. And the US federal government has proven they're clearly not interested in going after any of this. They're not trying for racketeering charges or organized crime charges in the Epstein case. I mean, they're they're not trying for anything, which may or may not have something to do with the fact that Donald Trump was Tea Reef's business partner in New York for years. For years, Tea Reef the Anyway, maybe that has something to do with it. Maybe it doesn't. I get that these are hard cases to prosecute. But in my opinion, it is incredibly important that we continue to call out these people by name because they are trying very hard to hide.
So look, I I've been ranking every person in the Epstein files. I don't think at this point I need to tell you that Ben Sullium is to me clearly a 10 out of 10 in terms of somebody who should be investigated. And look, Sultan Binsulam was forced to step down to resign from his role as the head of DP World. Now, I don't think that's because anybody in the ruling family of Dubai and of the UAE give a [ __ ] about this, but it's because their clients, their their major investors were threatening to pull their money, which is why I say there are still good people in the system. If the system was all bad and full of all bad people, they wouldn't even try to hide this stuff. They still try to hide it because there is still good. The problem is the bad people still seem remarkably to get away with their [ __ ] over and over.