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60 women accuse ex-Harrods owner, Al-Fayed, of sex abuse

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By Francesca Hangeior

About 60 women have come forward to allege they were sexually abused by former Harrods owner Mohamed Al-Fayed, lawyers representing them said on Friday.

A BBC documentary last week aired claims by women that Fayed, who died last year aged 94, raped and sexually abused them during his ownership of the luxury department store.

The accusations make the Egyptian billionaire the latest high-profile figure to join a list of rich and powerful men, such as Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, disgraced by sexual abuse allegations.

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“The response has simply been enormous. We can confirm that we now represent 60 survivors as part of our claim, with more to come,” the lawyers said in a statement.

The legal team said that since going public following the television expose, they had been contacted by people from all over the world.

“Our claim is becoming increasingly global in scope… We expected that anywhere Mohamed Al-Fayed went, the abuse would follow.

“Sadly this has proven to be true. We are now in possession of credible evidence of abuse at other Al-Fayed properties and businesses, including Fulham Football Club,” the statement read.

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In 2013, he was accused of raping a woman, a claim investigated in 2015.
In both instances, the CPS, which decides on prosecutions in England and Wales, said there was no “realistic prospect of conviction” and did not bring charges against the Harrods chairman.

The lawyers said they would continue to respond to inquiries from potential victims or witnesses and called for an “independent and transparent process to evaluate and adjudicate these claims”.

The women they represented, they said, had “lost all faith in Harrods and their processes.”
Harrods’ Managing Director, Michael Ward, said this week his former boss presided over a “toxic culture of secrecy, intimidation, fear of repercussion and sexual misconduct.”

But he said he had not been “aware of his criminality and abuse” and expressed his “personal horror at the revelations.”

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Fayed’s accusers say the assaults took place in his apartments in London and his properties in Paris, including the Ritz hotel.

Allegations include a repeated pattern of women who underwent a selection process for positions close to Fayed.
Once selected, they were subjected to an “invasive” gynaecological examination, the results of which were shared with Fayed.

The women said that when they tried to complain about their abuse, were threatened by senior security staff, demoted and subject to false allegations until they had “no choice” but to leave Harrods.

Fayed sold Harrods to the investment arm of Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund for a reported £1.5 billion ($2.2 billion).

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My dad has no dealings with Bobrisky – Falana’s daughter

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***Says, they are set to battle VDM in court

By Francesca Hangeior.

 

Folakemi Falana, daughter of human rights lawyer Femi Falana, has fired back at accusations of bribery and corruption involving her father, her brother, Falz, and Nigerian socialite Bobrisky.

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In a statement on her Instagram page on Friday, Folakemi clarified that her father had never met or spoken to Bobrisky and that Bobrisky reached out to Falz for financial assistance to stay in the VIP section of prison without discussing a presidential pardon.

She shared documents showing Falana & Falana’s history of applying for presidential pardons free of charge since 2016, emphasizing that anyone can request a pardon for a convicted person in Nigeria.

Folakemi expressed frustration that some Nigerians are quick to believe baseless accusations, including claims of Falz being homosexual and having an affair with Bobrisky.

She wrote, “My Parents and our firm, Falana & Falana have been applying for presidential pardons for Nigerians FREE way before a lot of you were born or before you could talk. Slide 1 is from 2016 and Slide 2 is from 2022.

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“It’s crazy that some Nigerians act like they can’t read or think for themselves. It’s unfortunate.

“It’s even crazier that all it takes is for a ridiculous character like VDM to accuse my dad and Falz of bribery, corruption and perversion of the course of Justice and you suddenly forget who they are and what they stand for. For him to have the audacity to go as far as even accusing Falz of being homosexual and having an affair with Bobrisky is wild. The fact that some of you believe it, is what is blowing my mind.

“For the record, anyone can write the president to request a pardon for any convicted person in Nigeria.

“To be crystal clear, the facts are as follows: 1) My dad has never met or talked to Bobrisky whether directly or via a proxy.
“2) Bobrisky reached out to Falz the same way he reached out to many other celebrities asking for money. The reason he gave was so that he could afford to stay in the VIP section of prison. He never discussed a presidential pardon with him. He said he was reaching out from prison Falz had no reason to believe otherwise.
“3) DO you think my dad or Falz need Bob’s money??? for what?.”

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Folakemi condemned the accusations as baseless and threatened legal action against the accuser, VeryDarkMan (VDM), saying “Seeing as you have refused to do the needful, #verydarkblackman see you in court.”

Recall that VeryDarkMan recently released audio recordings where Bobrisky allegedly claimed that Femi Falana and his son, Falz, had contacted him before his release from prison.

The recordings also suggested that Femi Falana arranged a settlement for 10 million naira to resolve the case.

Reacting to these allegations, Falz issued a 24-hour ultimatum to VDM, demanding the removal of all defamatory statements.

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Charity commission ban Naomi Campbell for using funds on spa treatment

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By Francesca Hangeior.

Naomi Campbell, the British supermodel, has been banned from being a charity trustee in England and Wales for five years.

In a statement by the UK Charity Commission, Fashion for Relief, Campbell’s charity, was said to have been “poorly governed and managed financially” by the trustees.

The inquiry which was conducted between April 2016 and July 2022 found that only 8.5% of the funds raised were spent on charitable grants.

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It added that part of the charity funds was also used to pay Campbell’s stay at luxurious hotels, spa treatment as well as her cigarettes.

Reacting to the inquiry in an interview with AP, Campbell said she was unaware of the expenses because she “was not in control of my charity”.

“I have just found out today about the findings, and I am extremely concerned,” she said.

“I was not in control of my charity, I put the control in the hands of a legal employer.”

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Asides from Campbell, Veronica Chou and Bianca Hellmich are among trustees sanctioned.

Hellmich was banned for nine years for receiving $385,000 of unauthorized funds for consultancy services. Chou was banned for four years.

Commenting on the ban, Tim Hopkins, who was part of the investigation, said Campbell and the other trustees failed in their legal duties.

“Trustees are legally required to make decisions that are in their charity’s best interests and to comply with their legal duties and responsibilities,” he said.

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“Our inquiry has found that the trustees of this charity failed to do so, which has resulted in our action to disqualify them”.

About £344,000 has also been recovered and a further £98,000 of charitable funds have been protected.

The funds were used to make donations to two other charities and settle outstanding liabilities.

Campbell founded Fashion For Relief in 2005 with the aim of relieving poverty.

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By Francesca Hangeior.

 

Amid the ongoing N15 million alleged bribery, embattled Nigerian crossdresser, Idris Okuneye, better known as Bobrisky has stirred reactions on social media as he shares a new video on his Instagram page.

This is coming 24-hours after Bobrisky sparked concern among fans by opening up about suicidal thoughts and feelings of betrayal by friends.

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Despite ongoing controversy and bribery allegations, Bobrisky remains unfazed and refuses to be deterred.

Sharing video of himself, Bobrisky captioned it with a confident declaration, saying “ I’m pretty”.

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