The son of Mohamed Al Fayed has expressed his shock and horror at allegations of sexual abuse made against his late father. Dozens of women have come forward accusing the former owner of Harrods of rape and sexual assault. Omar Al Fayed said that although he regarded his father as a “wonderful dad”, the breadth and explicit nature of the allegations called into question his loving memories of him. Lawyers representing 60 women are hoping to bring a case against the department store in light of the investigation by the BBC.
In a statement, the 36-year-old environmental entrepreneur said that anyone found guilty of facilitating, enabling, or covering up such actions, regardless of their status, must be held accountable. He called for transparency and full accountability and expressed his support for any legitimate investigation into the allegations. He condemned the BBC’s extensive reporting on the allegations and expressed his desire for justice to be done.
Omar Al Fayed was appointed to the board of directors of Harrods in 2006 and remained there until 2010 when his father sold the business. The current owners of Harrods have apologised to the victims of Mohamed Al Fayed’s abuse while he was the owner of the company. They said that as a business, Harrods had failed its employees, and they provided a compensation scheme for ex-employees who allege that they were attacked by Mohamed Al Fayed.
Many of the victims have said that they were threatened against speaking out about his behaviour, and lawyers representing them have said that the billionaire used surveillance and intrusive medical checks to undertake “systematic abuse”. They also revealed that there was credible evidence of instances of abuse taking place at other businesses and properties once owned by Al Fayed. The BBC’s investigation into the allegations can be seen on its iPlayer page
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