British supermodel Naomi Campbell has been prohibited from serving as a charity trustee following a regulatory investigation that discovered misuse of charity funds for luxury accommodations and spa services.
The Charity Commission’s inquiry revealed that Fashion for Relief was not distributing the collected funds as intended.
Instead, the funds were used for expenditures such as cigarettes and security for Campbell, along with other unauthorized payments to a fellow trustee.
“I’ve just found out today about the findings, and I am extremely concerned,” Campbell, aged 54, told the AP news agency. She clarified that she was not managing the charity’s operations.
Campbell, along with trustees Bianka Hellmich and Veronica Chou, has been restricted from participating in charitable activities for five, nine, and four years, respectively.
The investigation identified unauthorized payments totaling £290,000 to Ms. Hellmich for consultancy, which violated the charity’s guidelines.
Although Ms. Hellmich offered to repay these funds, interim managers appointed by the Commission managed to secure the repayments for the charity.
Investigators reclaimed nearly £345,000 from the charity and safeguarded an additional £98,000 of its funds.
These funds were allocated to donations for the Save the Children Fund and the Mayor’s Fund for London, and to settle the debts of Fashion for Relief.
Between April 2016 and July 2022, the inquiry into Fashion for Relief’s finances revealed that only 8.5% of the raised funds were used for charitable grants.
Both the Save the Children Fund and the Mayor’s Fund for London lodged complaints against Fashion for Relief following the initiation of the inquiry.
The events organized by Fashion for Relief, intended to benefit these charities, were poorly managed, according to the findings.
Tim Hopkins, a member of the investigative team, commented, “Trustees are legally required to make decisions that are in their charity’s best interests and to comply with their legal duties and responsibilities.”
He continued, “Our inquiry has found that the trustees of this charity failed to do so, which has resulted in our action to disqualify them.”
As of 15 March 2024, Fashion for Relief has been removed from the charity register.
