(AFP) – About 60 women have now come forward to say they were sexually abused by former Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed, lawyers representing them said on Friday.
Last week, a BBC documentary aired allegations by women that Fayed, who died last year at the age of 94, raped and sexually abused women when he owned a luxury department store.
The accusations make the Egyptian billionaire the latest high-profile figure to join the list of wealthy and powerful men, such as Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, who have been disgraced over sexual abuse allegations. .
“The response has been overwhelming,” the lawyers said in a statement.
“We can confirm that we currently represent 60 survivors as part of our advocacy, with more on the way.”
The defense team said they had been contacted by people around the world since going public following the TV revelations.
“The scope of our advocacy has become increasingly global…We expected abuse to occur wherever Mohamed Al-Fayed went,” the statement said.
“Unfortunately, this turned out to be true.
“We now have credible evidence of abuse at other Al Fayed facilities and businesses, including Fulham Football Club.”
British prosecutors said they had received evidence against Fayed twice.
In 2008, Fayed was accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl, and evidence was examined by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in 2009.
He was charged with raping a woman in 2013, and an investigation was launched in 2015.
In both cases, the CPS, which decides prosecutions in England and Wales, did not charge the Harrods chairman, saying there was no “realistic prospect of conviction”.
Lawyers said they would continue to respond to inquiries from potential victims and witnesses and called for an “independent and transparent process to evaluate and adjudicate these claims.”
They said the women they represented had “completely lost faith in Harrods and its processes”.
Harrods managing director Michael Ward said this week that his former boss presided over a “toxic culture of secrecy, intimidation, fear of repercussions and sexual misconduct”.
However, he said he was “unaware of his criminality and abuse” and expressed “personal fear of exposure”.
Fayed's accusers claim the assaults took place at his London apartment and his properties in Paris, including the Ritz Hotel.
The allegations include a repeated pattern of women undergoing selection processes for positions close to Mr. Fayed.
Once selected, they underwent an “invasive” gynecological examination, the results of which were shared with Mr. Fayed.
The women said when they tried to complain about the abuse, they were threatened and demoted by senior security staff and were subjected to false allegations until they “reluctantly” left Harrods.
Fayed reportedly sold Harrods to the investment arm of the Qatari sovereign wealth fund for 1.5 billion pounds ($2.2 billion).
He was also the owner of Fulham Football Club.
