The Highland estate owned by the family of the late Harrods boss Mohamed al-Fayed is under scrutiny as calls mount for the family to sell the property to compensate his victims of rape and sexual assault. In a Sunday Mail exclusive report, it has emerged that a councillor is leading the charge for the family to sever ties with the region due to the allegations against the mogul, who passed away last year. Chris Ballance, head of the Green group at Highland council, has also called for Fayed to be posthumously stripped of a prestigious Freedom of the Highlands award bestowed upon him in 2002 by the former local tourist board.
Ballance highlighted that Fayed did very little to benefit the Highlands besides minor contributions to a local village hall. He questioned the basis on which Fayed received the award in the first place. The Balnagown estate in Invergordon, purchased by Fayed in 1972 and still utilized by his wife and children, is at the centre of the controversy. The castle is registered under a firm named Bocardo Societe Anonyme, ultimately owned by Ocarina Trustee AG in Liechtenstein, often labelled a tax haven.
A recent documentary shed light on numerous accounts from women who reported being sexually assaulted or raped by Fayed during their time working at Harrods, with some individuals as young as 15 or 16 when the incidents occurred. In response to the allegations, Ballance criticised Fayed as an absentee landlord who made rare visits via helicopter. He stressed the importance of compensating the victims and called for the estate to be sold if still owned by the family.
Tourism body VisitScotland noted they lack the authority to retract the award, clarifying that the Freedom of the Scottish Highlands was a symbolic gesture by the Highlands of Scotland Tourist Board. Police Scotland disclosed that an investigation into a historical sexual assault complaint at the estate involving Fayed had concluded, but they remain open to further inquiries if new information surfaces. At this time, the al-Fayed family and Balnagown have not commented on the matter.