Harrods, now beneath Qatari possession, points apology for abuse of energy when retailer was beneath al-Fayed’s management.
Thirty-seven ladies have accused the late Mohamed al-Fayed, former boss of the London division retailer Harrods, of rape and sexual assault as their attorneys say they count on “many extra” to come back ahead with civil claims.
Talking at a information convention in London on Friday, attorneys representing the ladies described the Egypt-born businessman, who died final yr on the age of 94, as a “monster” who abused ladies and women he employed through the 25 years that he owned the high-end retailer from 1985 to 2010.
The allegations towards al-Fayed had been made public by the BBC in a documentary known as Al Fayed: Predator at Harrods, aired on Thursday, and the community’s World of Secrets and techniques podcast, through which greater than 20 ladies alleged that he assaulted and was bodily violent in the direction of them at properties in London, Paris, St Tropez and Abu Dhabi.
One in all al-Fayed’s accusers who glided by the identify Natacha mentioned on the information convention that the billionaire businessman was “extremely manipulative” and “preyed on essentially the most weak, these of us who wanted to pay the lease and a few of us who didn’t have mother and father to guard them”.
In July 2023, Harrods, which was bought in 2010 to the funding arm of Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund, started settling claims with ladies who got here ahead alleging sexual abuse by al-Fayed.
The shop’s present homeowners issued an apology in a press release to the BBC documentary, saying they had been “completely appalled” by the allegations of abuse.
“As a enterprise we failed our workers who had been his victims and for this we sincerely apologise,” they mentioned.
“Whereas we can not undo the previous, we now have been decided to do the best factor as an organisation, pushed by the values we maintain at the moment, whereas making certain that such behaviour can by no means be repeated sooner or later.”
The division retailer is a “very completely different organisation” to the one owned and managed by al-Fayed, they mentioned, describing the alleged crimes as “the actions of a person who was intent on abusing his energy”.
At Friday’s media occasion, lead lawyer Dean Armstrong queried Harrods’s declare that it knew nothing concerning the allegations till final yr.
“We’re right here to say publicly and to the world, or to Harrods in entrance of the world, that it’s time that they took accountability, and it’s time that they set issues proper, and that’s one thing they need to do as quickly as potential,” he mentioned.
Lawyer Bruce Drummond mentioned survivors got here from all around the world.
“Complainants got here from Malaysia, Australia, Italy, Romania, the USA and Canada whereas one was simply 16 when she was allegedly assaulted,” he mentioned.
American lawyer Gloria Allred, who has represented victims in among the most infamous sexual abuse circumstances lately, together with these concerning Jeffrey Epstein and Harvey Weinstein, mentioned many ladies had dreamed of working at “essentially the most stunning retailer on this planet”.
“Nevertheless, beneath the Harrods glitz and glamour was a poisonous, unsafe and abusive atmosphere,” she mentioned.