An Iraqi cleaner who claims that she was sexually harassed at the British Embassy and at the ambassador’s residence in Baghdad is taking the Government to court over its alleged failure to investigate her complaints.

The case will challenge a decision by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to allow KBR, the American company contracted to maintain the two premises, to conduct its own investigation into the allegations, rather than carry out an independent inquiry. It will also examine whether the FCO failed to protect the cleaner’s human rights after she allegedly became the victim of sexual harassment by several British KBR managers in 2006 and early 2007.

The cleaner, who is married with five children, said she wants the Government to “give me back my rights and let me regain my dignity”.

Her allegations came as the Ministry of Defence confirmed that it was investigating 33 cases of alleged abuse of Iraqi civilians by British soldiers in southern Iraq from 2003. Phil Shiner, of Public Interest Lawyers, who is representing the alleged victims, has said that there are hundreds more abuse claims that have not been investigated. Public Interest Lawyers is also representing the cleaner. Tessa Gregory, a solicitor at the law firm, said the embassy case highlighted the impunity with which contractors in Iraq had been allowed to act.

Two Iraqi cooks who worked at the embassy and support the cleaner's allegations say that there was a culture of sexual harassment by certain KBR managers. No embassy staff are implicated. KBR, a global engineering and services company, denies the allegations. The Times broke the story of the abuse claims and the KBR investigation last year.

The cleaner said a British contractor with KBR offered to double her daily pay if she would stay the night with him. When she refused, she said, her pay was cut and she was later dismissed. She and the two male cooks who also lost their jobs after backing up her story said some KBR managers groped Iraqi staff regularly, paid or otherwise rewarded them for sex and dismissed those who refused or spoke out.

Ms Gregory travelled to Beirut in August to interview the three Iraqis, who were flown to the Lebanese capital from Baghdad. They each made a signed statement documenting their allegations. In her statement, the cleaner describes how she was also allegedly assaulted by a second KBR contractor in a bedroom inside the ambassador’s mansion-style residence in Baghdad’s green zone as she was working. He “came from behind and pushed me violently on to the bed,” the cleaner said. “I struggled and managed to get up off the bed. I pushed him away. As I ran he grabbed me by my shirt but I managed to free myself and I locked myself in the ensuite bathroom.”

The FCO says that this is a new allegation that was not raised initially. Public Interest Lawyers, however, argues that the cleaner has maintained the same set of complaints. The extent of the alleged abuse was not recognised because her allegations were never properly investigated, Ms Gregory added.

KBR said it was “surprised that fresh allegations have arisen relating to this same 2007 incident which KBR considers to have been thoroughly investigated and closed”.

Several days after the alleged incident at the ambassador’s residence, the cleaner was sacked. She subsequently reported the harassment allegations to embassy staff, backed up by testimony from the two cooks.

KBR was called in to investigate, but the three Iraqis said they were never interviewed. The managers, who denied the charges, were reinstated after month-long suspensions with pay. The FCO maintains that it was satisfied with the KBR inquiry and insists that it was correct to allow the Houston-based company to investigate the allegations because they were an internal matter involving KBR employees.

Public Interest Lawyers, which filed an application for judicial review in September, is waiting for a High Court judge to set a hearing date.

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