At least 37 women have accused Mohamed Al-Fayed, the former owner of Harrods who died in August 2023, of sexual violence, their lawyers announced on Friday, September 20, who will file a civil action against the famous department store.
“The time for justice has come”said American lawyer Gloria Allred, who is part of the group of lawyers in charge of this case, at a press conference in London. Lawyer Dean Armstrong assured that there had been a failure “abject” to corporate responsibility on the part of Harrods. The department store was acquired in 2010 by the sovereign wealth fund Qatar Investment Authority.
This press conference comes the day after BBC investigation broadcasttitled Al-Fayed: a predator at Harrods. About twenty women testified in this documentary. Five of them accuse Mohamed Al-Fayed of rape, committed in London or Paris, others denouncing attempted rapes and sexual assaults.
Victims “from all over the world”
In London on Friday, lawyers for the alleged victims promised “to obtain justice” for the 37 women they say they represent at this stage, calling on other possible victims to come forward. Mohamed Al-Fayed was “a monster”, “a monster that was able to act thanks to a system”denounced lawyer Dean Armstrong.
“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. “If Harrods management feels it should compensate these women financially (…), “Of course, this is something we would welcome, but we will not accept being accused of being interested only in money. It is about much more than that.”he added.
“We have survivors from all over the world”one of them 16 at the time, said lawyer Bruce Drummond. The plaintiffs come from Malaysia, Australia, Italy, Romania, the United States and Canada, and one of them was just 16 when she says she was assaulted.
Former employees of the Ritz in Paris are among the alleged victims, lawyer Maria Mulla said at a press conference in London. “We also represent women who were employed by the Ritz.”the lawyer said, in response to a question about the existence of accusations made by employees other than those at Harrods.
“A toxic, dangerous and violent environment”
Gloria Allred, an American lawyer known for defending women’s rights, said that “under the glitz and glamour” of the famous department store existed “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”she said again.
The World Application
The World Morning
Every morning, find our selection of 20 articles not to be missed
Download the app
She recalled that the attacks were not confined to Harrods, but also occurred at the Ritz in Paris, which the businessman also owned, as well as at his Parisian residence, the Villa Windsor.
Actions known to all, the lawyers said. Lawyer Anna Mulla spoke of the ” fear “ and the” anguish “ who have embraced the many 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 Great Britain, where he became the owner of Harrods in 1985 and the Fulham FC football club between 1997 and 2013. According to the BBC, he had already been accused of similar acts and the police 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, was never charged.