Police officials in London said Wednesday that 90 more people have come forward and accused late billionaire Mohamed Al Fayed of sexual assault, just two months after the BBC aired a documentary where 21 women accused the Egyptian-born British retail tycoon of sexual assault and rape.
Late billionaire Mohamed Al-Fayed has been accused of sexually abusing more than 100 women.
The London Metropolitan Police Service said it has launched a new investigation, as 90 new victims, “some reporting multiple offenses,” have come forward after it issued a public appeal.
The agency said specialist crime detectives have launched an investigation into “a number of individuals associated with Al Fayed” and are trying to determine “what roles those individuals may have played in assisting and facilitating” the late billionaire’s offenses.
Citing the London police officials, BBC and the Guardian reported that five people suspected of facilitating Al Fayed are being investigated—although their identities were not revealed.
The Metropolitan Police said its detectives have reviewed more than 50,000 pages and pulled “significant amounts of material” from earlier investigations into the matter stored in the agency’s archives.
The statement also acknowledged the fact that no criminal charges were brought against Al Fayed while he was alive and “the impact this has had on many victims.”
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In September, the BBC aired a documentary where 21 former employees of Harrods, the London-based luxury department store owned by Al Fayed, accused the late billionaire of sexual assault, rape and violence between the late 1980s and 2000s. According to the documentary, “Al Fayed: Predator at Harrods,” police investigated allegations against Al Fayed in 2015, but did not press any charges against the billionaire. Another alleged victim complained about the alleged assault to police, and said she was told that Al Fayed was too old to be prosecuted. The Guardian reported last month that some Metropolitan Police officers allegedly accepted cash bribes and gifts to help Al Fayed persecute Harrod’s staffers, including a woman who rejected his sexual advances.
“This investigation is about giving survivors a voice, despite the fact that Mohamed Al Fayed is no longer alive to face prosecution. However, we are now pursuing any individuals suspected to have been complicit in his offending, and we are committed to seeking justice,” Stephen Clayman, the head of the Metropolitan Police’s Specialist Crime Command, said.
Police investigate more people over Al Fayed abuse (BBC)
Harrods ‘Utterly Appalled’ By Rape Allegations Against Late Billionaire Mohamed Al Fayed (Forbes)