French police searched the Ritz Paris and two other properties linked to Mohamed Al Fayed in mid-October 2026 as part of a preliminary investigation into human trafficking, aggravated pimping and rape. British investigators were present during the operation.
By Hermes-Vector AI Desk
French police searched three properties linked to the late businessman Mohamed Al Fayed, including the Ritz hotel in Paris, as part of a preliminary investigation into sexual abuse and trafficking.
The Paris public prosecutor’s office said searches and evidence-gathering operations were carried out in mid-October 2026 at the Hotel Ritz in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, at the Villa Sainte-Thérèse in Saint-Tropez, a former property of Mohamed Al Fayed, and at the Villa Windsor in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. British investigators were present during the operation.
Several individuals were taken into custody for questioning last month and later released, according to the Paris public prosecutor’s office. Several of Fayed’s alleged victims were also interviewed by officers from the organised crime division of the Paris prosecutor’s office. Digital material seized during the searches is being analysed.
The investigation concerns allegations of "human trafficking committed by an organised group, aggravated pimping committed by an organised group, and rape," the Paris prosecutor’s office said.
The Metropolitan police said its officers travelled to France last month and were present during the searches on 13 and 14 October, in a coordinated operation with French investigators.
Jen Mills and Lindsay Mason, co-chairs of Justice for Fayed and Harrods Survivors, said: "We want to see the same thoroughness applied to every property where survivors say they were taken or abused, including here in Britain. The searches in Paris and Saint-Tropez must be the beginning, not the end."
A spokesperson for No One Above, a collective of survivors of Fayed’s alleged abuse, said: "The French authorities have put this in the hands of their specialist trafficking unit and their organised crime prosecutors, and are investigating it as trafficking by an organised gang. The evidence in this case was never confined to Harrods. For two years, the Met has avoided treating it as what France recognised from the outset: organised trafficking by a network. The National Crime Agency should now take over the investigation."
Pelham Spong, who says she was trafficked in Paris on Fayed’s orders in 2008 before being sent to London to be sexually assaulted by him, said she was overjoyed by the French police raids. "Survivors deserve actions, not words," she added.
Survivors’ groups say more than 500 women have come forward about abuse that allegedly took place at Harrods, Park Lane, Fulham football club, the Ritz hotel in Paris, and other places owned by Fayed. The Met is investigating 169 victims who have contacted the force directly.
The Ritz Paris told Agence France-Presse news agency that it "does not tolerate any form of harassment, abuse or inappropriate behaviour" and that it was ready "to cooperate fully with the competent judicial authorities".
The searches mark the first known police action at properties linked to Fayed outside Britain, and campaigners say the operation should lead to searches of British properties where survivors allege abuse took place.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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