Zürcher Nachrichten - Hundreds paid or seeking damages over Harrods Al-Fayed abuse complaints

"We can confirm that 259 survivors have entered the process, many of whom have received interim compensation," the Harrods Redress Scheme said in a statement sent to AFP.

"To date, over 75 survivors have received full compensation through the scheme."

The remaining cases, submitted before a March 31 deadline, "will continue to be reviewed and progressed to conclusion," the statement added.

It came as the UK's police watchdog confirmed that a serving officer with London's Metropolitan Police and four ex-officers were being investigated for their handling of the allegations.

The probe centres on the quality of police inquiries in 2008 and 2013 in response to accusations against the late Egyptian billionaire.

While some 21 complaints were made to the London force before Fayed's death, aged 94 in 2023, none led to a prosecution.

Fayed, who owned the famed luxury department store in London, has been accused of large-scale rape, sexual assault, sexual exploitation and human trafficking.

- 'Survivors were failed' -

The Harrods Redress Scheme was launched in March 2025, after growing numbers of women came forward to launch complaints against Fayed following the September 2024 release of a BBC investigation into the claims of rape and assault.

The company has said it "apologises unreservedly for the sexual abuse inflicted upon survivors by Fayed who abused his power wherever he operated.

"We acknowledge survivors were failed."

Under the terms set out by the scheme, survivors could be eligible for up to £400,000 ($544,000) in compensation.

Any applicant could make claims for various amounts depending on the level of harm.

For example, women can claim an indemnity of £10,000 if they were forced to undergo intrusive gynaecological examinations to check if they had sexually transmitted diseases or were virgins.

The company added that while "it is recognised many individuals may have been impacted by Fayed, applications to the Scheme are limited to those who have potential claims against Harrods for acts of sexual abuse perpetrated by Fayed".

Earlier Thursday, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said in a statement that five police officers were being "investigated for potential misconduct".

It added: "The victims-survivors are being kept updated on the progress of our investigation."

The mother of one woman who went to police later told the BBC her daughter, who has since died, had been effectively dismissed by officers.

Samantha Ramsay was told it would be her word against Fayed's, but that her allegations would be added to "a pile" of others by women who had made the similar complaints.

- 'Modern slavery victim' -

A Met spokesperson said Thursday the force was assisting the ongoing IOPC probe launched in January 2025.

It own investigation into "individuals who may have facilitated or enabled offending by Mohamed Al-Fayed remains active", it added.

The force said in March it had questioned three women on suspicion of "aiding and abetting rape" and "human trafficking for sexual exploitation".

Fayed bought Harrods in 1985, six years after acquiring the Ritz in Paris.

The French authorities have also been investigating a vast alleged human trafficking network reportedly set up by Fayed.

Rachael Louw, a former saleswoman at Harrods who has been interviewed by the French body combatting human trafficking, OCRTEH, told AFP she had been recognised in the UK in April as a victim of modern slavery.

She felt the decision, by the National Referral Mechanism, was "a validation and a vindication of what I said to the Met when I first reported back in 2024", she said.

Justine, who worked at Harrods and is a member of the victims group No One Above, said the IOPC probe was a step, but called for a full probe into alleged trafficking.

"What the Fayeds ran was a trafficking operation -- one that required a network of facilitators, institutional access, and sustained cover," she told AFP.

A.Senn--NZN