KUALA LUMPUR/SINGAPORE: Civil society groups have asked Malaysian billionaire Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary to cancel the appointment of Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem as executive chairman of logistics company MMC Port Holdings. They raised concerns about his alleged links to the late Jeffrey Epstein.

Reuters reported last week that Bin Sulayem, who is from the United Arab Emirates, was set to take control of Malaysia's largest port operator. This came five months after he stepped down from his role at Dubai's DP World, following scrutiny over his email exchanges with Epstein, a convicted sex offender who died in 2019.

MMC Port operates seven ports along the Strait of Malacca, one of the busiest shipping routes in the world. It is part of MMC Corporation, in which Syed Mokhtar holds a controlling stake. Neither Syed Mokhtar nor the company has publicly responded to the Reuters report.

In a joint statement dated July 20, 31 organizations called on Syed Mokhtar to reverse Bin Sulayem's appointment.

The groups pointed to possible geopolitical and financial risks. They noted that major financial institutions, including the United Kingdom's development finance agency and Canada's second-largest pension fund, had stopped making new investments in DP World because of Bin Sulayem's alleged links to Epstein.

The statement said that Bin Sulayem had gained significant negative attention after the release of the Epstein files. It added that since he was not considered essential to DP World, there was no strong reason to consider him essential to MMC Port.

MMC Corporation did not respond to requests for comment. Bin Sulayem has not publicly addressed the email exchanges with Epstein and could not be reached for comment.

His appointment to MMC Port has caused strong reactions on social media, with many people questioning whether he is suitable for the role.

Malaysia's transport minister responded last week by saying that the government cannot interfere in how private companies are managed. The minister explained that the government's role is limited to regulating ownership structures in companies that operate concessions and strategic national assets.