London, Sep 20 (EFE).- Lawyers representing women who have accused Mohamed Al Fayed of sexual assault and rape said Friday that the late billionaire was “a monster”.
Thirty-five women have come forward alleging that the former owner of the luxury department store Harrods had sexually abused them.
Al-Fayed is also accused of setting up an internal sex trafficking “network” at Harrods, which he owned between 1985 and 2010.
The lawyers held a press conference, along with one of the former employee whistleblowers – Natacha – after 20 alleged victims shared their story in a BBC documentary that aired Thursday. Some of the alleged victims were minors at the time.
‘Al-Fayed: Predator at Harrods’ gathered evidence indicating that Harrods management not only failed to intervene, but helped cover up the abuses and even facilitated them.
Attorney Dean Armstrong, called the Egyptian-born businessman who died in 2023 at the age of 94, a “monster.”
“This case combines some of the most horrific elements of the cases involving Jimmy Savile, Jeffrey Epstein and Harvey Weinstein,” he added, referring to notorious sexual predators who abused positions of power and fame to prey on their victims.
Armstrong explained that Al Fayed had set up “a system of trafficking women” for his sexual gratification, which included a selection process and invasive gynecological examinations.
He also said Harrods bared “full culpability” for the alleged abuse.
In a statement, the department store’s current owners said they were “utterly appalled” by the allegations and “acknowledge that during this time as a business we failed our employees who were his victims and for this we sincerely apologize.”
“While we cannot undo the past, we have been determined to do the right thing as an organization, driven by the values we hold today, while ensuring that such behavior can never be repeated in the future,” the company added.
The famous department store is now owned by Harrods Ltd, owned by the State of Qatar through its sovereign wealth fund, the Qatar Investment Authority.
Mohamed Al Fayed immigrated to the UK in 1974 and was already a well-known public figure when he took over Harrods department store in 1985.
His son Dodi was Princess Diana’s boyfriend when both were killed in a car accident in August 1997 in Paris while trying to flee from press photographers. EFE
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