Mohammed Al-Fayed's wife and daughters are 'reluctant' to share details about how much his estate is worth as they work to settle sexual abuse claims with hundreds of women, the High Court has heard.
Heini Wathen-Fayed and daughters Jasmine and Camilla Fayed – aged 71, 41 and 45 – face being culled as executors of the late businessman's estate after Harrods made a 'passing over' application to the High Court.
The department store claims the family cannot 'objectively' agree settlements with his alleged victims after his widow previously said she did not believe their claims.
The widowed Finnish model and her daughters are fighting to stay in control.
Lawyers say the family is working 'dispassionately' with survivors while Ms Wathen-Fayed – who sat feet away from those allegedly abused by her husband on all three days of the hearing – now accepts the veracity of their claims.
But at the High Court today, Harrods' barrister Penelope Reed KC doubled down, telling the hearing that the store refused to accept the widow's 'wholesale change of view'.
Ms Reed said independent executors could better look into the estate's affairs, and accused the Fayeds of being 'reluctant' in sharing information because, as administrators, they would look to 'maximise the value of the estate'.
She told Judge Karen Shuman: 'There has been, we would say, a reluctance to provide information about the estate. Whether we are right to be suspicious about that is another matter.
'But this is an estate where the family is so wound up in the value of the estate that this is something an independent executor could investigate.'
Heini Wathen-Fayed leaving the High Court with her lawyers on Thursday following the hearing
Pictured centre with her husband Mohamed Al Fayed (second right), daughter Camilla and sons Omar and Karim. The sons are split on whether she should be in charge of the estate
Ms Reed said Harrods remained 'hazy' on the relationship between the estate and Hyde Park Residence Ltd (HPRL), a UK company that the Fayeds' lawyers say is irrelevant to the estate and 'entirely valueless' with £20m of debt.
Court submissions state Mr Fayed held nominee shares in HPRL that were passed to Prestige Properties SA, a firm in Liechtenstein, after his death, and that Ms Wathen-Fayed was a director in the firm until last year.
She added: 'We would say there was information provided... but not full information. We don't accept there has been a change of heart prompted by these proceedings.'
The court previously heard the estate was valued at £111-£118million, largely held in a British Virgin Islands holding company owed £97million by a Bermudan firm whose shares Al Fayed held in a trust.
The value of UK assets was 'nil', lawyers for the Fayeds said, as they accused Harrods of a 'fishing expedition' following a bid to obtain more information about the estate through the courts: all but one was rejected.
Making their closing statements yesterday, the family's representatives said Harrods was acting out of self-interest as it seeks to recover compensation costs from the estate -whilst posing as a 'crusader' for the alleged victims of its ex-owner.
Tracey Angus KC, for Jasmine Fayed, previously told the court the store would be in 'immediate' conflict if it appointed and paid for new executors, adding: 'All of this is causing more expense and delay.'
Stephen Moverley Smith KC, for Ms Wathen-Fayed and Camilla, said: 'Have matters been dealt with properly? The answer is plainly yes.
'The executors will be guided by professional advisers on any settlement, and in that they are acting entirely dispassionately. Where necessary they will seek the guidance of the court. And they will do that at their own cost.
'This is an application that should never have been progressed. The case must be dismissed with costs.'
Jasmine Fayed - pictured with her late father in 2006 - had initially been neutral on the Harrods bid before siding with her family
Al Fayed - pictured here in 1999 - died three years ago. Hundreds of women have since accused him of offences including rape, sexual assault and human trafficking
Allegations of abuse, sexual assault, rape and human trafficking were made against Egyptian-domiciled Al Fayed – who owned Harrods between 1985 and 2010 – following his death in August 2023 at the age of 94.
It prompted Harrods to launch a redress scheme, offering employees who said they were abused up to £385,000. Some 260 people 'engaged' with the scheme, which is now closed to new applicants.
Harrods says that as of last month 110 had been compensated. Written submissions to the court suggest £6.1million has been paid out from a £57million pot.
However, more than 300 people – including those who rejected the scheme as well as those employed by Al Fayed in another capacity – are seeking damages directly from the estate.
But the case has exposed a rift among survivors: the majority of those seeking damages – including almost all of the 270 claimants with legal firm KP Law – are opposed to Harrods' application.
The division also runs deep in the family: Al Fayed's younger son Omar – who was replaced in his father's will as executor by Jasmine – supports Harrods' application, while older brother Karim does not.
Judge Karen Shuman reserved judgment until a later date following the hearing, which overran into a third day and saw the courtroom run out of seats due to intense interest from both the press and survivors.
She said: 'This case has been listed for an inordinate amount of time... and I will have some observations to make about that when I give my judgment.'
Ms Wathen-Fayed did not speak to reporters as she left the High Court on Thursday afternoon. Her lawyers ushered her into the back of a taxi before she covered her face with a large tote bag.
Ms Wathen-Fayed was hurried into a taxi following the end of the hearing, the judgment on which will come at a later date
The widow covered her face with a tote bag as the taxi pulled away. Lawyers said that she now accepts claims that her husband was an abuser
Justin Michaelson of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, representing the widow and daughter Camilla, said they take the allegations against Mr Al Fayed 'seriously'.
He added: 'The executors are committed to ensuring that whatever process follows is conducted properly and responsibly, and they will make no further comment at this stage.'
Harrods said in a statement that the case was about 'seeking the independent administration of the Fayed estate for the benefit of all survivor claimants'.
A spokesperson said: 'Instead of focusing on compensating survivors, (the Fayeds) have focused on defending their control of the estate.
'Survivors of Fayed's abuse deserve fair access to justice, and the administration of his estate should serve the interests of all those seeking redress.'
Campaign group No One Above, which advocates for abuse survivors, said Ms Wathen-Fayed's change of heart 'doesn't remove the conflict' of her and her daughters' executor roles.
The group said: 'The battle over who is ultimately responsible for damages will not be resolved quickly – but survivors' compensation must not be delayed in the meantime.
'We call on all parties to settle claims quickly, while safeguarding the integrity of evidence in the largest sex trafficking case in Britain's history.'
Representatives for Jasmine Fayed told the Daily Mail: 'Jasmine remains committed to supporting an orderly administration of the estate with care, sensitivity and respect for those affected.'
Justice for Fayed & Harrods Survivors (J4FHS), which represents survivors of Al Fayed's alleged abuse, does not support Harrods' bid to remove the family as executors.
Jen Mills, Co-Chair of J4FHS, said on Thursday: 'Harrods chose this court battle. We didn't. For months we've been told our claims can't progress while Harrods
fights over the Estate. Now the hearing is over, but we're still waiting for a judgment.
'Harrods has admitted it failed women like us. It doesn't need a judge's permission to make fair offers on the claims that are ready, and it should make them now.
'Harrods can afford to wait for a judge, but we can't, and our lives can't be held hostage to its legal timetable.'
Lindsay Mason, Co-Chair of J4FHS, added: 'For Harrods, this is a court case. For us, it's our lives - careers destroyed and decades we'll never get back.
'We've spent long enough paying for what Fayed did to us. We shouldn't have to give up another day while
'Harrods argues about who pays for it.'
