Andrew HardingSame with Paris
RabaeFrench police have launched a sex-trafficking investigation linked to disgraced businessman Mohamed Al Fayed, who died two years ago.
The police investigation, ordered by the PARI Prosecutor’s office, will focus on “potential acts of aggravated human trafficking … of the victims seen by the BBC. The rape and a case of rape are also being investigated.
Al Fayed’s Ritz Hotel in Paris is likely to be a target of the investigation, amid claims from victims that staff knew about or facilitated the abuse of women.
In a statement, the Ritz said it was “deeply shocked” by the allegations of abuse and that it would cooperate “fully” fully “with the authorities.
The Trafficking investigation marks a new twist in a series of legal battles linked to the violent crimes of Al Fayed – since his death – for some kind of justice for his many victims.
An American woman, Pelham Spong, 40, played a key role in prompting this French investigation from the Ritz to her private home in Paris and to various yachts and family homes on the Mediterranean coast.
Ms Spong was living in Paris in 2008 when she applied for a job working as a personal assistant for the Al Fayed family in Monaco.
Several times she was taken to London, subjected to an intrusive gynecological examination, and then – she said – attacked by Al Fayuled in his office.
“He told me the job included sleeping with him,” Ms Spong said, adding that she rejected the offer on the spot.
“I did not know that I was a victim of sex trafficking until this past year when I … saw the scale and knew that it was a model and a machine,” he told a standard in an interview in Paris.
A few months later, Ms Spong, now living in the USA, went to Paris to report her experiences to the French police ahead of them with evidence of their own abuse.
“It is a big step that the prosecutors decided to open an investigation. [Ms Spong] There is a very good case because he continues with many materials. It was very strong,” his lawyer Anne-Claire Le Jeune told the BBC.
MS Spong said it was “too easy to erase the actions of an evil dead man”.
“And you can’t learn anything from a society. So how do you prevent it from changing?
“Well, first, you have to name it for what it is … It’s critical to call it what it is, the marketing, so we can stop it,” he said.
Al Fayed is also being investigated in the UK, where More than 140 people reported him when met by the police.
The extent of Al Fayed’s predatory behavior was first brought to light in a BBC documentary and podcast, in September 2024.
Al Fayed: Predator of Harrods Testimony was heard from more than 20 female ex-Harrods employees who said Al Fayed assaulted or raped them. Since then, many women have come forward with similar experiences.
After the broadcast, it was revealed at the meeting of 21 women before Al Fayed’s death, accusing him of sexual offenses including sexual offenses including rape, sexual assault and running away. Despite this, he was not charged with any crimes.
Ms Spong Heart said she spoke to British police about Al Fayed in 2017 but was told he was too ill to ask.
Last year, the eulogist wrote to the alleged victims, saying it was “truly sorry” for the anguish they had suffered because Al Fayed would never face justice.
The force is currently being investigated the handling of historical allegations against Al Fayed And to see if others will face charges for doing his behavior.
Harrods spends more than £ 60m In its plan to compensate the alleged victims of Al Fayed’s abuse.
In a statement announcing the plan, Harrods said: “While we cannot beat the past, we are determined to create an organization, driven by such values that will never be repeated in the future.”