Naomi Campbell Banned From Being Charity Trustee

The supermodel has been prohibited from acting as a trustee for any charity for five years. This was the result of an inquiry conducted by the Charity Commission, which uncovered major financial wrongdoing at Fashion For Relief, the anti-poverty charity of which she was the head.

The renowned supermodel Naomi Campbell has been prohibited from serving as a trustee for any charity for the next 5 years. This sanction comes after an investigation by the Charity Commission uncovered widespread financial mismanagement at the poverty alleviation organization that Campbell had fronted for over 10 years.

The inquiry found that Fashion For Relief, the charity headed by Campbell, only donated a minuscule percentage of the millions it raised at high-profile celebrity fashion events to charitable causes. Instead, the organization spent tens of thousands on extravagances like luxury hotel suites, spa treatments, cigarettes, and personal bodyguards for Campbell. Furthermore, unauthorized payments totaling hundreds of thousands were made to another trustee closely tied to Campbell.

Nearly $467,000 was recovered by the Commission’s investigators from the charity. This money was redirected to Save the Children and the Mayor’s Fund for London – two organizations that reported Fashion For Relief to regulators four years ago due to problematic fundraising partnerships.

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The charity commission’s investigation discovered that Campbell’s fellow trustee, Bianka Hellmich, was paid £290,000 ($387,000) in unauthorized consultancy fees and expenses from the charity over two years. She has been prohibited from serving as a trustee for nine years as a result. A third trustee, Veronica Chou, has been banned for four years.

The inquiry revealed a long history of disorganized financial management and haphazard record-keeping at the charity, which was finally dissolved in March.

“Trustees are legally obligated to make decisions in the best interest of their charity and comply with their legal duties and responsibilities. Our investigation found that the trustees of this charity failed to do so, resulting in our action to disqualify them,” said Tim Hopkins, the Charity Commission’s assistant director for specialist investigations and standards.

“This inquiry, and the work of the interim managers we appointed to run the charity in place of the trustees, has resulted in the recovery of £344,000 and protection of an additional £98,000 in charitable funds,” he added. “I’m pleased that the inquiry has seen donations made to other charities which this charity previously supported.”