Sixty women now accuse Mohammed Al-Fayed, former owner of Harrods, of sexual violence

Sixty women now accuse Mohammed Al-Fayed, former owner of Harrods, who died on August 30, 2023 at the age of 94, of sexual assault and rape, up from thirty-seven last week, they announced on Friday, September 27. , the lawyers who represent them. “To date we have responded to more than two hundred requests and messages from around the world. “We confirm that we now represent sixty survivors in our work, with more to come.”they stressed in a press release, highlighting the scope “Increasingly international” of this matter.

In addition to Harrods, lawyers cited “credible evidence” of sexual assaults at Mohammed Al-Fayed’s other properties and businesses, including the English club Fulham Football Club, which he bought in 1997. “We expected abuses to have occurred wherever Mohamed Al-Fayed went. Unfortunately this is true”they added.

During a press conference on Friday, September 20, the lawyers denounced “a quarter of a century of sexual assaults” of this Egyptian businessman, who was the father of Dodi Al-Fayed, Diana’s last lover, who died with her in a car accident in Paris in 1997. Mohammed Al-Fayed “He was a monster, a monster that could act thanks to a system (…) created and established by Harrods »said attorney Dean Armstrong.

This press conference was held the day after the broadcast of a BBC investigation, “Al-Fayed: a predator at Harrods”. About twenty women testified in this documentary. Five of them accuse Mohammed Al-Fayed of rape committed in London or Paris, others denounce attempted rape and sexual assault. Since its broadcast, several other alleged victims have come forward.

Investigation in 2015 for rape

“We are suing Harrods and focusing on Harrods at the moment in the name of collective corporate responsibility”Dean Armstrong explained, adding that he had evidence showing that these actions reproduced a repetitive pattern. “If Harrods management believes it should financially compensate these women (…) Of course, it is something we would appreciate, but we will not accept being accused of being interested only in money. It’s about much more than that.”he added.

The current management of the famous store, which came under the Qatari flag in 2010, has “firmly condemned” the behavior of its former owner and apologized for having “Let it go [les] employees who were his victims”. The department stores have reached amicable settlements with some of the accusers who have come forward since 2023. New requests were received following the broadcast of the BBC documentary.

For its part, the Ritz Paris, a luxury hotel that the businessman also owns, stated “We strongly condemn any form of behavior that is not in accordance with the values ​​of the establishment”adding that he was “firmly committed to fostering an environment in which employees and customers are treated with respect and integrity”.

According to the BBC, Mohammed Al-Fayed had already been accused of similar acts and police opened an investigation in 2015 for rape. Asked by Agence France-Presse, the London police explained that they had investigated incidents of sexual assault against the businessman on several occasions, without any proceedings having subsequently been initiated against him.

Mohammed Al-Fayed, born on January 27, 1929 in a modest suburb of Alexandria, Egypt, spent much of his life in the United Kingdom, where he became owner of Harrods in 1985 and the Fulham FC football club between 1997 and 2013. .