Calls for an investigation into rape and sexual assault allegations against Mohamed Al Fayed at the Paris Ritz are being made by French prosecutors. It is claimed that the hotel management enabled Al Fayed’s attacks by creating a “cult-like” atmosphere in its establishments, including the Ritz. Several women, more than five, have stepped forward with new claims about Al Fayed’s predatory behavior in France since the BBC reported on the rape allegations.
Kristina Svensson who spoke out in the documentary about the abuse she experienced at the Ritz plans to ask the Paris prosecutor’s office early next week to launch an investigation. Ms. Svensson, who worked as executive assistant from 1998 to 2000, stated that almost 50 people who worked at the Paris Ritz between 1998 and 2000 knew about the former billionaire owner’s behavior. Ms. Svensson said, “We’re in enough of a rage that nothing is going to stop us.”
Anne-Claire Le Jeune, a lawyer who has worked on numerous sexual abuse cases, said that if a large number of women are involved, the prosecutor “has the moral duty to open an investigation to figure out exactly how this abuse could happen.” It is unclear if any complaints against Al Fayed were made to French authorities when he was alive. Since the BBC documentary aired, the Ritz has only made one brief statement in which it did not address specific allegations but rather “condemns any form of behavior that does not align with the values of the establishment.”
Ms. Svensson believes said that her decision to speak out has given her “much joy” adding that many of Al Fayed’s victims are now in their 50s. They are “at a point in life where we’re able to muster the courage” and “don’t want our daughters and grandchildren” to suffer similar abuse. If there are many women involved, the prosecutor has a moral obligation to investigate to determine how this abuse was allowed to occur. Throughout the establishments owned by Al Fayed, including the Ritz, there was a cult-like atmosphere that aided his predatory behavior
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