Scotland Yard probes claims police officers took bribes from Al-Fayed

Scotland Yard is probing claims that police officers were bribed by Mohamed Al-Fayed.

A Met detective is said to have accepted a suit from Harrods and cash in a white envelope, while a senior commander was allegedly given luxury hampers 'whenever he had been a particularly great help'. 

The detective was so useful to the Egyptian tycoon he was given a mobile phone to aid his illicit work, said a close Al-Fayed aide. 

The Met said yesterday its review of claims about the late Harrods owner will involve liaising with its anti-corruption unit.

The allegations form part of a 52-page statement from Bob Loftus, who worked under Harrods security chief John Macnamara, as part of a defence to a libel action pursued by Al-Fayed against Vanity Fair. 

It refers to a Portuguese nanny, Hermina da Silva, who was hired in 1994 and fired for rebuffing his advances.

'He's a very bad man and he mustn't get away with this,' she told a colleague. 'He tried to assault me.'

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Loftus wrote that Macnamara told him Al-Fayed 'wanted the problem sorted out'. Ms da Silva was arrested on false charges of theft, but released without charge and later won £12,000 compensation.

A BBC documentary last month spoke to five women who say they were raped by Al-Fayed. 

Vanity Fair's British editor, Henry Porter, said some officers had been 'important enablers and it could be said that they were a factor in allowing [Al-Fayed] to continue his abuse'.

The Met is investigating new allegations of sex crimes in addition to reviewing cases of 19 women. Al-Fayed died in 2023 aged 94.

Although criminal proceedings can't be brought, Scotland Yard said: 'We must ensure we fully explore whether any other individuals could be pursued for criminal offences.'