At least 37 women have accused Mohamed Al-Fayed, the former owner of Harrods who died in August 2023, of sexual violence, his lawyers announced on Friday, September 20, who will take civil action against the famous department store.
“The time for justice has come”“The US attorney Gloria Allred, who is part of the group of lawyers in charge of this case, said during a press conference in London. Attorney Dean Armstrong KC said there was a breach of “abject” corporate responsibility by Harrods. The department store was bought in 2010 by the sovereign wealth fund Qatar Investment Authority.
“We have survivors from all over the world”One of them was 16 at the time, said lawyer Bruce Drummond. The complainants come from Malaysia, Australia, Italy, Romania, the United States and Canada, and one of them was just 16 when he says he was attacked.
This press conference comes a day after the broadcast of a BBC investigation, entitled Al-Fayed: a predator at Harrods. Twenty women testified in this documentary. Five of them accuse Mohamed Al-Fayed of rapes committed in London or Paris, others denounce attempted rapes and sexual assaults.
On Friday in London, lawyers for the alleged victims promised “to obtain justice” for the 37 women they claim to represent at this stage, calling on other potential victims to come forward. Mohamed Al-Fayed was “a monster”, “a monster that was able to act thanks to a system”complained attorney Dean Armstrong KC.
“We are suing Harrods and focusing on Harrods at the moment, in the name of collective corporate responsibility”He explained, adding that he had evidence showing that these actions constituted a repetitive pattern. “If Harrods management feels it should financially compensate these women, (…), Of course, we would welcome this, but we will not accept being accused of being interested only in money. It is about much more than that.”he added.
“A toxic, dangerous and violent environment”
Gloria Allred, an American lawyer known for defending women’s rights, noted that, “under the rhinestones and glamour” of the famous department stores, there was “a toxic, dangerous and violent environment”. According to her, Mohamed Al-Fayed’s actions were “constant and repeated”. “There has been a quarter of a century of sexual violence at Harrods”he said again.
He stressed that the attacks were not limited to Harrods, but also took place at the Ritz in Paris, which was also owned by the businessman, as well as at his Paris residence, the Villa Windsor.
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Actions known to all, the lawyers said. Lawyer Anna Mulla spoke about the ” fear “ and the“distress” who embraced the numerous alleged victims for years. Mohamed Al-Fayed was “intelligent and very manipulative”said one of the alleged victims, Natacha, during the press conference. “He was a monster, even if we didn’t realize it at the time”.
Mohamed Al-Fayed, born on January 27, 1929 in a modest suburb of Alexandria, Egypt, spent much of his life in Britain, where he became owner of Harrods in 1985 and of the Fulham FC football club between 1997 and 2013. According to the BBC, he had already been accused of similar acts and the police had opened an investigation in 2015 for rape. But the father of Princess Diana’s last lover, Dodi, who died with her in a car crash in Paris on August 31, 1997, was never charged.
