60 'survivors' accuse ex-Harrods boss Al-Fayed of sex abuse: lawyers

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Around 60 women have now come forward to allege they were sexually abused by former Harrods owner Mohamed Al-Fayed, lawyers representing them said on Friday.

A BBC documentary last week aired claims by women that Fayed, who died last year aged 94, raped and sexually abused them during his ownership of the luxury department store.

The accusations make the Egyptian billionaire the latest high-profile figure to join a list of rich and powerful men, such as Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, disgraced by sexual abuse allegations.

"The response has simply been enormous," the lawyers said in a statement.

"We can confirm that we now represent 60 survivors as part of our claim, with more to come."

The legal team said that since going public following the television expose, they had been contacted by people from all over the world.

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"Our claim is becoming increasingly global in scope... We expected that anywhere Mohamed Al-Fayed went, abuse would follow," the statement read.

"Sadly this has proven to be true.

"We are now in possession of credible evidence of abuse at other Al-Fayed properties and businesses, including Fulham Football Club."

British prosecutors have said they twice received evidence against Fayed.

Pattern of abuse

In 2008, Fayed was accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) reviewed evidence in 2009.

In 2013, he was accused of raping a woman, a claim investigated in 2015.

In both instances, the CPS, which decides on prosecutions in England and Wales, said there was no "realistic prospect of conviction" and did not bring charges against the Harrods chairman.

The lawyers said they would continue to respond to inquiries from potential victims or witnesses and called for an "independent and transparent process to evaluate and adjudicate these claims".

The women they represented, they said, had "lost all faith in Harrods and their processes".

Harrods' managing director, Michael Ward, said this week his former boss presided over a "toxic culture of secrecy, intimidation, fear of repercussion and sexual misconduct".

But he said he had not been "aware of his criminality and abuse" and expressed his "personal horror at the revelations".

Fayed's accusers say the assaults took place in his apartments in London and his properties in Paris, including the Ritz hotel.

Allegations include a repeated pattern of women who underwent a selection process for positions close to Fayed.

Once selected, they were subjected to an "invasive" gynaecological examination, the results of which were shared with Fayed.

The women said that when they tried to complain about their abuse, were threatened by senior security staff, demoted and subject to false allegations until they had "no choice" but to leave Harrods.

Fayed sold Harrods to the investment arm of Qatar's sovereign wealth fund for a reported £1.5 billion ($2.2 billion).

He also owned Fulham Football Club.

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Source: AFP