Ex-Maldives Leader Pitched $25 Million Island Deal to Epstein, Files Show

Newly released U.S. Justice Department records reveal former Maldives President Mohamed Waheed pitched a $25 million private-island resort project to Jeffrey Epstein in 2014, with correspondence indicating ongoing contact from 2011–2016 and involvement of intermediaries including Ibrahim Mohamed Didi and Dubai port executive Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem. The documents show no evidence the deal was completed; the island was later leased without competitive bidding to a Dubai-linked firm exposed in the Pandora Papers, while Waheed denies wrongdoing and characterizes his interactions with Epstein as professional.