LONDON —
British supermodel Naomi Campbell has been banned from being a charity trustee in England and Wales for five years after the anti-poverty charity she founded almost two decades ago was found to be “poorly governed” with “inadequate financial management”.
After a three-year investigation into Fashion for Relief’s financial activities, the Charity Commission said on Thursday it had found “multiple cases of misconduct and/or mismanagement”, and that only 8.5% of total expenditure of the organization went to charitable grants over a six-year period starting in 2016.
It discovered, for example, that thousands of pounds in charity funds were used to pay for a stay at a luxury hotel in Cannes, France, for Campbell, as well as spa treatments, room service and even cigarettes. The regulator said the trustees explained that the hotel costs were usually covered by a donor to the charity, therefore did not cost the charity, but did not provide any evidence to support this.
It also found that trustee Bianka Hellmich received around £290,000 ($385,000) of unauthorized funds for consultancy services, which breached the charity’s bylaws. She has been disqualified as a trustee for nine years. The other trustee, Veronica Chou, was disqualified for four years.
“Trustees are legally required to make decisions that are in the best interests of their charity and to comply with their legal duties and responsibilities,” said Tim Hopkins, deputy director of specialist investigations and standards. “Our investigation has found that the trustees of this charity failed to do so, which has resulted in our action to disqualify them.”
The charity, founded in 2005 following Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, was dissolved and removed from the charity register earlier this year. On its website, which is still active, the organization said it presented fashion initiatives and projects in New York, London, Cannes, Moscow, Mumbai and Dar es Salaam, raising more than $15 million for good causes around the world.
The Charity Commission, which registers and regulates charities in England and Wales, opened an investigation into its activities in 2021.
Fashion for Relief was created with the goal of uniting the fashion industry to alleviate poverty and promote health and education by providing grants to other organizations and donating resources for global disasters. He organized fundraising events to generate income, including events in Cannes and London.
The commission said around £344,000 ($460,000) has been recovered and a further £98,000 ($131,624) of charitable funds have been protected. These funds were used to make donations to two other charities and settle outstanding liabilities.
A spokesperson for Campbell was contacted but said there was no comment at this time.
