Egyptian businessman Mohamed al-Fayed accused of sexual violence by 37 women

The businessman, owner of the luxury department store Harrods in London, died in August 2023.

In total, 37 women, “from all over the world”accuse Egyptian businessman Mohamed al-Fayed, who died in August 2023, of sexual violence, their lawyers announced on Friday, September 20. Some of the plaintiffs were minors at the time of the events, “only 15 and 16 years old”they added. Most of these women are former employees of the British luxury department store Harrods and the Ritz, a luxury hotel in Paris owned by the businessman.

“The time for justice has come”commented American lawyer Gloria Allred, who is part of the group of lawyers in charge of this case, at a press conference in London (United Kingdom). Lawyer Dean Armstrong KC assured that there had been a failure “abject” to corporate liability on the part of Harrods. That is why the lawyers say they will file a civil action against the British luxury store. The department store was bought in 2010 by the sovereign wealth fund Qatar Investment Authority.

Mohamed al-Fayed was “a monster”, “a monster that was able to act thanks to a system”the lawyer denounced. “We are pursuing Harrods and we are focusing on Harrods at this stage in the name of collective corporate responsibility.”he explained, adding that he had evidence showing that these actions constituted a repetitive pattern.

This press conference comes the day after the broadcast of a BBC investigation, entitled “Al-Fayed: a predator at Harrods”Around twenty women testified in this documentary, five of them accusing him of rape, committed in London or Paris, others denouncing attempted rapes and sexual assaults.

On Friday in London, the plaintiffs’ lawyers promised “to obtain justice” for the 37 women they say they represent at this stage, calling on other possible victims to come forward. 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 accident in Paris on August 31, 1997, has never been charged.