By Catarina Demony
LONDON (Reuters) – More than 400 alleged victims have so far contacted the legal team working on a case against the late Egyptian billionaire Mohamed Al Fayed, accused of sexual abuse and rape, lawyer Dean Armstrong said on Thursday .

A BBC documentary revealed in September that Al Fayed, who died last year aged 94, sexually abused female staff at his Harrods department store in London, forced them to undergo medical examinations and threatened them with consequences if they tried to complain.

Al Fayed has always denied similar accusations raised by other reports before his death.

When asked for a response, Harrods reminded Reuters of its past statements on the allegations, in which it apologized, said it was “appalled” by them and had launched proceedings for any current or former Harrods employee who wishes to claim compensation. .

Another lawyer, Bruce Drummond, said more than 400 complaints have been filed by women around the world, mainly from Britain, but also from the United States, Australia, Malaysia, Spain, South Africa and other countries.

“This is, in our view, abuse on an industrial scale,” Drummond said, adding that the abuse took place “within the walls of Harrods”, but also in other places linked to the Al Fayed’s business empire, such as Fulham Football Club, the Ritz Paris and his property in Surrey.

The victims included the daughter of a former US ambassador to Britain and the daughter of a well-known footballer, Drummond said, without giving names.

The BBC documentary said Harrods failed to intervene and helped cover up allegations of abuse while it was the owner.

Lawyers have criticized the compensation system run by Harrods, saying some victims do not feel comfortable going directly to Harrods for compensation because that is where the abuse took place.

Drummond said some senior officials from Al Fayed’s era still worked at Harrods.

The Financial Times reported last week that four alleged victims had left Harrods’ compensation scheme over concerns about possible conflicts of interest and poor communication.

Several media outlets had reported allegations of sexual abuse against Al Fayed before the BBC documentary, including Vanity Fair in 1995, ITV in 1997 and Channel 4 in 2017. Lawyers said in September that many women did not feel capable of express themselves publicly than in the BBC report. after his death last year.

(Reporting by Catarina Demony; Additional reporting by Muvija M; Editing by Alison Williams)

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