London (AFP) – Three former employees at London’s Harrods store have accused another brother of its late boss, Mohamed Al-Fayed, of sexual assault, after hundreds of similar claims were made against the tycoon, the BBC reported Thursday. They accuse Ali Fayed, the last surviving one of the three brothers, of assaulting them while they were working for the luxury department store in the 1990s.
More than 400 women have come forward with accusations of sexual assault, including rape, against the Egyptian former Harrods and Fulham Football Club owner, Mohamed Al-Fayed, in the wake of a BBC documentary released in September. In November, three women accused another brother, the late Salah Fayed, of assaulting them during the period when he jointly owned the department store with Mohamed.
The same week, the New York Times published the claims of a victim accusing Mohamed’s younger brother, Ali, of knowing about the “trafficking” of women. Now, three former employees say they were assaulted by Ali Fayed in London, Scotland, Switzerland, and the US when the department store was owned by the brothers and where Ali was a director, according to the BBC.
One woman, known as Amy, said she “endured” abuse by Mohamed Al-Fayed during three years as his personal assistant and was also “groped” by Ali at a Fayed family chalet in Switzerland. She told the BBC she wanted an “explanation” from Ali Fayed, 81, the only surviving brother after Salah died in 2010 and Mohamed in 2023.
A former Harrods interior designer, named only as Frances, said she was serially abused by Mohamed Al-Fayed before being “molested” by his younger brother in a private apartment in central London and then at his family home in the US state of Connecticut. Laura, the third alleged victim, was subjected to a “serious sexual assault” by Ali Fayed, according to the BBC.
A spokesperson for Ali Fayed told the BBC he denied all accusations. Justice for Harrods Survivors, which represents hundreds of women alleging abuse by Mohamed Al-Fayed, said it was representing all three women in this case. “It was clear from the very first days of our work on this case that other individuals beyond Mohamed Al Fayed were alleged to have been involved in the abuse of women and the concealment of their experiences,” Justice for Harrods Survivors said in a statement.
“We applaud the bravery of the women who have spoken out on their allegations against Ali Fayed and reiterate our commitment to securing justice and accountability for all survivors.” According to the New York Times, a former Harrods employee alleging abuse by Mohamed Al-Fayed says Ali may have “unique and critical evidence” of “a more than two-decade long trafficking scheme.”
London’s Metropolitan Police has opened a new investigation into sexual assault claims against Mohamed Al-Fayed, which has identified at least 90 victims.
© 2024 AFP
