Abercrombie & Fitch halts payments to former CEO amid sex-trafficking allegations

American retailer Abercrombie & Fitch has reportedly said that it would suspend paying its former CEO additional retirement income after allegations of sex trafficking came to light.

Prior to the announcement, Mike Jeffries was understood to be on the receiving end of lifetime bonus payments of around one million dollars, according to the BBC, which reported the news.

The media outlet was also behind the unveiling of exploitation back in October as part of a BBC Panorama documentary, through which allegations surfaced of young men being subject to sex parties during Jeffries’ time as boss.

In the investigation, a number of men who attended such events alleged that they had been exploited or abused, while there was also evidence of an organised middleman to recruit these individuals.

A civil lawsuit later followed accusing Abercrombie & Fitch of funding a “criminal enterprise” led by Jeffries and his partner Matthew Smith between the course of 1992 and 2014.

Among the claims were allegations of young men being manipulated “under the guise of providing them with the modelling opportunity of their dreams” and that corporate money was used to “facilitate” the “sex-trafficking venture”.

The company told the BBC that it would not comment on ongoing legal matters, however noted that it would be halting the funds towards Jeffries for an undisclosed period of time.