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Sexual violence: 37 women accuse Mohamed al-Fayed
Around 30 women have accused former Harrods owner Mohamed al-Fayed, who died in 2023, of sexual assault, their lawyers said on Friday. A civil action is to be brought against the famous department store.
(France 2)
Around 30 women have accused former Harrods owner Mohamed al-Fayed, who died in 2023, of sexual assault, their lawyers announced on Friday, September 20. A civil action will be brought against the famous department store.
He was a controversial billionaire known for his willingness to bend the rules to make money. A year after his death, he now faces dozens of sexual assaults and rapes, often by former employees of his luxury brands. Lawyers for the alleged victims say they have identified 37 women. One of them now describes a pattern that seemed well-oiled: “We were sent to see al-Fayed because he had a task for us. It was always more of a friendly chat than a real job. But then these private meetings turned into a forced kiss.” says Natacha, an alleged victim of Mohamed al-Fayed.
Most of the women involved were between 19 and 34 years old at the time of the events. The youngest was 15. Since the 1990s, several accusations have been made in the press or to the police but without effect. Mohamed al-Fayed had a habit of appearing in front of the cameras with young women. At the head of the Harrods department store in London, he always invited young actresses to the opening of the sales. Today, in front of the famous luxury brand, some passers-by are angry: “I hope the store will show responsibility and at least launch an internal investigation.”