IN the documentary by the British BBC, over 20 women testify that they were sexually assaulted while working for the historic department store Harrods in London.
One of the women says she was raped by Mohamed al-Fayed, who died last year, when she was a teenager.
– We were all so scared. He actively cultivated fear. If he said “jump,” the staff asked “how high,” she says.
Testimony of rape and harassment
After the documentary, the list of women who say they have been victimized has grown. The accusations are about abuse, harassment and rape.
Over 400 people have contacted the legal team representing the women with new allegations and testimonies spanning a period of 30 years.
Criminal charges are mainly linked to Harrods, but also other locations within al-Fayed’s empire, such as the Ritz hotel in Paris and Fulham football club in London.
The lawyer: “A monster”
During a press conference in September, al-Fayed was compared to sex offenders Jimmy Savile, Jeffrey Epstein and Harvey Weinstein.
– We will say it clearly: Mohamed al-Fayed was a monster, said the lawyer Dean Armstrong.
According to Armstrong, a system was put in place at Harrods in conjunction with al-Fayed running the department store, which protected him during “decades of abuse”.
This week it became clear that the police are investigating five people who are believed to have helped or enabled Mohamed al-Fayed’s sexual crimes, the BBC reports.
Harrods is compensating former employees
Harrods apologized when the allegations came to light and said they were “appalled” by the testimonies.
In parallel with the police investigation, Harrods has established a compensation scheme for former employees who fell victim to al-Fayed.
But the system has been criticized by lawyers, who say some do not feel comfortable approaching Harrods, where many of the abuses took place.
Mohamed al-Fayed was accused of sexual abuse even before the BBC documentary was released.
Testimony has been portrayed by, among others, Vanity Fair and ITV during the 90s. Prosecutors have on several previous occasions considered bringing charges against al-Fayed.