Al-Fayed was a regular visitor to France, where he owned a string of properties, including the Paris Ritz(Image: Jonathan Buckmaster)

French prosecutors facing calls to launch official probe into Mohamed Al-Fayed

A lawyer representing one of the late billionaire's victims Kristina Svensson is planning to formally request an official investigation early next week

28 Sep 2024, 13:54 by Patrick Hill · The Mirror

French prosecutors are facing calls to launch an official probe into alleged sex attacks by Mohamed Al-Fayed.

It is understood at least five women have come forward with new claims about the former Harrods owner's behaviour in France, where he owned a string of properties, including the Paris Ritz since he was unmasked as a sex predator who raped and abused female staff last week.

Kristina Svensson, who spoke out in a bombshell BBC documentary about the abuse she suffered, said: “We’re in enough of a rage that nothing is going to stop us." A lawyer representing Ms Svensson, who was an executive assistant at the Ritz between 1998 and 2000, said she is planning to formally ask the Paris prosecutor’s office to launch an investigation early next week.

Al-Fayed pictured at the Paris Ritz before his death, aged 94, last year( Image: Getty Images)

In the documentary, Al-Fayed: Predator at Harrods, the BBC revealed multiple allegations of rape against Al-Fayed from Harrod's staff, along with evidence the department store's bosses not only failed to intervene but helped to cover up the alleged abuse.

Ms Svensson says Al-Fayed cultivated an atmosphere "very much like one of a cult, one of a gang, of a mafia" in all his establishments, which also included the Paris Ritz, where she says the "cult-like" hotel management enabled his attacks. In a nod to the mafia’s famous code of silence, she said: “There was a vow of omerta".

Ms Svensson says she believes “at least 50” people who worked with her at the Paris Ritz between 1998 and 2000 knew about Al-Fayed’s behaviour. She said: “People need to pick their side and decide if they were culpable in any way and chose to remain silent.

"They need to understand that the legal teams we have will leave no stone unturned. I have meticulous proof, and I know others do. I think a full investigation is needed. Specific people… enabled this culture to exist.”

The Ritz is still considered a Paris landmark( Image: AFP/Getty Images)

Anne-Claire Le Jeune, a lawyer who has worked on many cases of sex abuse, including the Jeffrey Epstein case, said that if there are a lot of women involved, the prosecutor “has the moral duty to open an investigation to try to figure out exactly how this abuse could happen”.

Ms Le Jeune said another woman had contacted her directly in recent days alleging abuse by Al Fayed. French prosecutors are under no obligation to open an investigation, but both Ms Le Jeune and Ms Svensson are hoping increased media attention in France may prompt other women to come forward.

She said: “I think there are a lot of managers who no longer work there who would be ready to speak to police about what happened. A lot of people could have known what happened (at the Ritz).

Al-Fayed also owned Villa Windsor, once home to Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson, in Paris' 16th arrondissement( Image: Paris Match via Getty Images)

"Some of them couldn’t speak out and I can understand that. But others may have tried to help Al Fayed to commit his crimes. So that’s why it is very important to identify them."

The Ritz hotel, which is still owned by the Al-Fayed family, was where Princess Diana spent her final hours before being killed in a car crash alongside Al-Fayed's son Dodi. The establishment has so far only made one brief statement in which it did not address any specific allegations, but said it “strongly condemns any form of behaviour that does not align with the values of the establishment.”

Ms Svensson said her decision to speak out had brought her “much joy,” adding that many of Al-Fayed’s victims were now in their 50s and are “at a point in life where we’re able to muster the courage” and “don’t want our daughters and grandchildren” to suffer similar abuse.

The Paris Ritz has not commented on calls for an investigation."They need to understand that the legal teams we have will leave no stone unturned. I have meticulous proof, and I know others do. I think a full investigation is needed. Specific people… enabled this culture to exist.”