The world-renowned supermodel Naomi Campbell has been banned from charity involvement for five years after a Charity Commission inquiry uncovered misuse of funds within the Fashion for Relief charity. The investigation revealed that charity money was being spent on luxury hotels, spa treatments, cigarettes, and security for Campbell and other unauthorized payments to fellow trustees.
Campbell, 54, expressed her extreme concern over the findings, stating that she had just learned about them. Alongside Campbell, two other trustees, Bianka Hellmich and Veronica Chou, have also been banned from charity involvement for nine years and four years respectively.
The inquiry found that unauthorised payments totalling £290,000 for consultancy services had been made to Ms Hellmich, breaching the charity’s constitution. However, the Commission-appointed interim managers were able to secure repayments to the charity, recovering nearly £345,000 in total.
Furthermore, the funds recovered have been used to make payments to other charities, including Save the Children Fund and the Mayor’s Fund for London, as well as covering Fashion for Relief’s liabilities. The inquiry discovered that only 8.5% of funds raised by Fashion for Relief were actually spent on grants to charity.
Following complaints from Save the Children Fund and the Mayor’s Fund for London, Fashion for Relief was removed from the register of charities on 15 March 2024. Tim Hopkins, part of the investigations team, emphasized the importance of trustees making decisions in the charity’s best interests and complying with legal duties and responsibilities, stating that the trustees of Fashion for Relief failed to do so, leading to their disqualification.
