Not only was Fayed a “monster”, but “he was a monster aided by an institution”, Mr Armstrong alleged of Harrods, the upmarket London department store owned by the billionaire between 1985 and 2010.
He claimed it was “simply not true” that Harrods did not know of the allegations until 2023.
Mr Armstrong told the news conference that “systematic abuse” was known of “well before this”.
“Those who controlled Harrods knew about Mohamed Al Fayed’s inappropriate behaviour”, he said, adding that choosing to only address the claims now was an “insult” to the “brave” survivors.
“We are here to say publicly and to the world, or to Harrods in front of the world, that it is time that they took responsibility, and it is time that they set matters right, and that is something they should do as soon as possible.
“They need to face up to accept the responsibility, that they have full culpability for the abuse that these women suffered.
“Today, we are going to set out our claim and how our claim shows an abject failure of corporate responsibility and a failure to provide a safe system of work.”
Following the news conference, Harrods – which has been under new ownership since 2010 – said it was “utterly appalled by the allegations of abuse perpetrated by Mohamed Al Fayed.
“These were the actions of an individual who was intent on abusing his power wherever he operated and we condemn them in the strongest terms.
“We also acknowledge that during this time his victims were failed and for this we sincerely apologise. We are doing everything we can to fix this.”
The company said it is a “very different organisation” now and “seeks to put the welfare of our employees at the heart of everything we do”.
It said its “priority” is to “settle claims in the quickest way possible, avoiding lengthy legal proceedings for the women involved”, which can be done online.
“While we cannot undo the past, we have been determined to do the right thing as an organisation, driven by the values we hold today, while ensuring that such behaviour can never be repeated in the future”, it added.
