A businessman and former chairperson of a major Egyptian bank denied charges that he sexually abused a housekeeper at a luxury New York City hotel.
Mahmoud Abdel Salam Omar, wearing glasses and a suit, was arraigned just before midnight on Tuesday in Manhattan. The judge set bail at $25 000, and there was no immediate indication when he would post bail.
His lawyer told the court that her client “adamantly denies the charges against him”.
“He realises these are very, very serious charges, and he denies them. He wants to fight this case,” said Liz Beal, a Legal Aid attorney who said she was only representing Omar at his first court appearance and that he would seek private counsel.
Prosecutors called Omar an obvious flight risk. Judge Gerald Lebovits ordered Omar to surrender his travel documents, including his passport.
Authorities say a maid was called to Omar’s room at The Pierre on Sunday night to drop off tissues. Police say the 74-year-old Omar wouldn’t let her leave and touched her inappropriately.
Omar chairs the board of the El-Mex Salines Co, a state-run salt production company. His biography on the company’s site says he’s a former chairperson of Egypt’s Bank of Alexandria, of the Egyptian American Bank and of the Federation of Egyptian Banks.
El-Mex Salines officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
Omar’s arrest came little more than two weeks after then-International Monetary Fund leader Dominique Strauss-Kahn was charged with sexually assaulting a maid at a different Manhattan hotel. Strauss-Kahn, who has since resigned his IMF post, denies the allegations. He is under house arrest as he awaits trial.
The Pierre, owned by Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces of India, said it would “fully comply with the investigation” in Omar’s case, according to a statement read over the phone by a hotel manager.
“The Pierre’s priority is the safety of our guests and staff,” the statement added.
The alleged encounter between Omar and the housekeeper was reported Monday, police said.
Police spokesperson Paul Browne said detectives found the maid’s complaint credible.