« We are pursuing Harrods and focusing on Harrods at this stage in the name of collective corporate responsibility. ” he explained, adding that he had evidence showing that these actions constituted a repetitive pattern.
« If Harrods management thinks it should compensate these women financially (…) Of course this is something we would welcome, but we will not accept being accused of being interested only in money. It is about much more than that. ” he added.
At the Ritz in Paris
Gloria Allred, an American lawyer known for defending women’s rights, pointed out that “beneath the glitz and glamour” of the famous department store, there existed ” a toxic, dangerous and violent environment ».
According to her, Al-Fayed’s actions were “ constant and repeated ». « There has been a quarter century of sexual violence at Harrods ” she said again.
She stressed that the attacks were not confined to Harrods, but also occurred at the Ritz in Paris, which the businessman also owned, as well as at his Paris residence, the Villa Windsor.
Actions known to all
Actions known to all, the lawyers said.
Lawyer Anna Mulla spoke about the “ littler » and the « angoisse ” who have embraced the many alleged victims for years.
Mohamed Al-Fayed was ” intelligent and very manipulative “, said one of the alleged victims, Natacha, during the press conference. He was a monster even if we didn’t realize it at the time. »
Mohamed Al-Fayed, born on January 27, 1929 in a modest suburb of Alexandria, Egypt, spent much of his life in Great Britain, where he became the owner of Harrods in 1985 and of the Fulham FC football club between 1997 and 2013.
According to the BBC, he had already been accused of similar acts and the police had opened an investigation in 2015 for rape. But the father of Princess Diana’s last lover, Dodi, who died with her in a car accident in Paris on August 31, 1997, has never been charged.
