French police have launched an investigation into sex-trafficking linked to the disgraced businessman Mohamed Al Fayed, who died two years ago.
The police investigation, ordered by the Paris prosecutor's office, will focus on "potential acts of aggravated human trafficking… with multiple victims," according to correspondence seen by the BBC. Prostitution and one case of rape are also being investigated.
Al Fayed's Ritz Hotel in Paris will likely be a target of the investigation, amid claims from victims that staff knew about or facilitated the abuse of women.
In a statement, the Ritz said it was "deeply alarmed" by the allegations of abuse and it would cooperate "fully" with authorities.
The trafficking investigation marks a new twist in a series of legal battles linked to Al Fayed's violent crimes and to the search – both before and since his death – for some sort of justice for his many victims.
