The late Mohamed Al-Fayed has been accused of multiple rapes.
More than 20 former staff members at Harrods, the store Al-Fayed owned between 1985 and 2010 have spoken out, claiming the billionaire sexually assaulted them while he was alive.
Five women have claimed they were raped by Al-Fayed. In the BBC documentary, Al Fayed: Predator at Harrods, one woman claimed he raped her at his London apartment.
“I made it obvious that I didn’t want that to happen. I did not give consent. I just wanted it to be over,” she said.
Another woman, who also claimed she was raped at the Al-Fayed’s Mayfair apartment, said, “We were all so scared. He actively cultivated fear. If he said ‘jump’ employees would ask ‘how high.'”
Another woman, who worked as Al-Fayed’s personal assistant between 1988 and 1991, claimed she was sexually assaulted by her boss on more than one occasion. “I couldn’t leave. I didn’t have a (family) home to go back to, I had to pay rent,” she said. “I knew I had to go through this and I didn’t want to.”
Harrods released a statement saying they were “utterly appalled by the allegations of abuse perpetrated by Mohamed Al Fayed.”
They continued, “These were the actions of an individual who was intent on abusing his power wherever he operated and we condemn them in the strongest terms. We also acknowledge that during this time as a business, we failed our employees who were his victims and for this we sincerely apologise.”
Al-Fayed, who was father to Dodi Al-Fayed, died in September 2023, aged 94.
