The on-duty concierge at Hôtel de Pourtalès has blamed the establishment’s lack of up-to-date security for Kim Kardashian West’s gun-point robbery earlier this month.
Abdulrahman – whose surname is being kept private over fears for his safety – has found himself at the centre of the £8.5 million heist as he was the only guard working in the hotel in Paris, France, when the 35-year-old reality TV star was gagged and robbed at around 2:30am on October 3, but he has claimed the prestigious resort is at fault for the shocking incident as it had no proper cameras or refreshed security codes.
Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Abdulrahman – who is a father of two – said: ”There was no real security at all. It’s a choice. The hotel doesn’t mind about security. We told them years and years before, you have to make a camera, you have to put [in place] a security process, about keys. Nothing was locked, there was no proper security there.”
The concierge has claimed him and other members of staff had been on at managers for ”years” to change pin for the front door out of fear that ”someone might die”.
He explained: ”I told the hotel years ago, you need better security and they didn’t mind. If you look at that big door, it wasn’t locked, it was open. We talked about it and nobody cared. The code of the door was never changed and everybody knew it. There is a camera in the main wall of the hotel, behind the [front] doors, but it didn’t work.”
And it’s now been revealed that the code for the front door still hasn’t been changed, despite the frightening armed robbery taking place over two weeks ago.
Abdulrahman – whose identity has been kept under wraps since the incident due to the nature of the ongoing investigation – was left fearing for his life when he was cuffed and marched to Kim’s hotel room with a gun to his head during the attack.
He said: ”Immediately afterwards, I was very angry, and the first one I blamed was the hotel,’ he said. ‘They are responsible, I think. And I still blame them now.
”I told them, ‘Look what you did! What I told you for six years? Security cameras and other things are meant for days like today, to prevent these things from happening. If you have good guards, electronic systems to lock the doors, it can be possible to secure the hotel. One day, someone might be killed. That is more important than a robbery of rocks and metal.’ ”
However, the hotel management have reportedly argued that they deliberately chose not to install CCTV to protect the privacy of their wealthy guests.
Kim – who is still trying to come to terms with the incident – was also cuffed, gagged and tied up on the floor of her room’s bathroom while the armed robbers snatched her expensive jewellery – including her £3.5m engagement ring from Kanye West.
Her bodyguard – who is also involved in the investigation – was out protecting her sister Kourtney Kardashian when the incident took place in the early hours.
An instructing judge is now leading more than 100 judicial police and officers from the Paris criminal brigade in the hope of catching the five-man gang.
The criminals will face charges of armed robbery by an organised gang, criminal conspiracy and kidnapping, which could lead to a sentence of at least 30 years.
Inmates sentenced to life in the European country are required to serve a safety period of at least 18 to 22 years before they can become eligible for early release.
