Former Harrods boss Mohamed Al-Fayed, whose son Emad El-Din "Dodi" Mohamed Fayed was killed in a 1997 Paris car crash alongside Princess Diana, has been accused of multiple rapes. According to The BBC , five women have claimed that they were raped by the billionaire, who died last year aged 94, when they worked at the luxury London department store Harrods, which Al-Fayed owned from 1985 to 2010. The outlet revealed that it had heard testimonies from more than 20 former female staff members who claim the billionaire businessman sexually assaulted them, with the incidents allegedly taking place in London, St.
Tropez, Abu Dhabi and Paris. The allegations were laid out in a BBC documentary, titled 'Al-Fayed: Predator at Harrods' . The documentary revealed that during Fayed's ownership, Harrods not only failed to intervene but helped cover up abuse allegations.
In a statement , Harrods' current owners said they were "utterly appalled" by the allegations and that his victims had been failed - for which the store apologised. "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," the statement read. "We also acknowledge that during this time as a business, we failed our employees who were his victims and for this we sincerely apologise," it added.
According to The BBC , one woman has alleged that the billionaire raped her at his London apartment. "I made it obvious that I didn't want that to happ.