Britain’s police watchdog is reviewing its handling of Mohamed Al Fayed’s sex crime allegations

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s police watchdog said it is investigating complaints from two women about how the Metropolitan Police handled sex crime allegations they made against the late Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed.

Police have investigated several allegations of rape or sexual assault against the billionaire owner of the famous London department store. Al Fayed was never prosecuted and died last year at 94 years old.

The Metropolitan Police said late Friday that it had contacted the Independent Office for Police Conduct after two women in recent weeks came forward with concerns about how their allegations were handled by officers when they were arrested in 2008 and 2013 were reported for the first time.

“While we cannot change the past, we are committed to providing the highest standard of service and support to every individual who contacts us,” said Stephen Clayman of the police’s specialist crime team.

The police watchdog said it would review the information provided before deciding whether further action was necessary.

Allegations against Al Fayed have increased since several former Harrods employees made claims on the BBC broadcast in September.

Police and Harrods executives have been confronted with questions about why no action was taken while Al Fayed was still alive. He was questioned by investigators in 2008 about the alleged sexual abuse of a 15-year-old, and police handed over evidence files about him to prosecutors in 2009 and 2015. He was never charged.

Clayman said police were “actively reviewing” 21 allegations of sex crimes against Al Fayed made to police before his death to determine whether further investigation was possible.

Police said last month that in addition to these claims, 40 other women had made allegations of rape or sexual assault against the tycoon since September.

The Egyptian-born businessman moved to Britain in the 1960s and bought Harrods in the mid-1980s. Al Fayed sold Harrods to a state-owned company in 2010 Qatar through its sovereign wealth fund, the Qatar Investment Authority.

The current managing director of Harrods, Michael Ward, has apologized to former employees who said they were sexually abused by Al Fayed. Ward said it was clear that Al Fayed “presided over a toxic culture of secrecy, intimidation, fear of consequences and sexual misconduct.”