Naomi Campbell Disqualified as Trustee of Fashion For Relief Charity Amid Mismanagement Allegations

 

British supermodel Naomi Campbell has been disqualified as a trustee of her charity, Fashion For Relief, following an investigation that revealed serious mismanagement of the organization. According to Mail Online, the charity reportedly spent over £1.6 million on a lavish gala in Cannes but donated only £5,000 to charitable causes over a 15-month period.

The Charity Commission had previously removed Fashion For Relief from the UK charity register while probing allegations of misconduct. In its report released today, the Commission concluded that the charity was poorly governed and exhibited inadequate financial management.

As a result, Campbell, 54, has been disqualified from serving as a trustee for five years, while her former colleagues Bianka Hellmich and Veronica Chou received disqualifications of nine and four years, respectively.

Fashion For Relief was founded by Campbell in 2005, inspired by Nelson Mandela's encouragement to use her voice for good. The charity claims to have raised over £11 million, primarily through high-profile fundraising events worldwide, including locations such as New York and Moscow.

Concerns about the charity's financial practices emerged in 2021 when the Mayor's Fund for London filed a complaint, claiming it was owed £50,000 by Fashion For Relief. Following this, the Charity Commission launched a statutory inquiry, which found that between April 2016 and July 2022, only 8.5% of the charity's overall spending was allocated to charitable grants.

The inquiry also uncovered instances of questionable spending, including a £12,300 flight for transferring art and jewelry and £7,800 spent on a three-night stay at a luxury hotel for Campbell. The Commission criticized the trustees for failing to ensure that these expenses were justified and cost-effective.

In total, the inquiry helped recover £344,000, which was used to make donations to other charities and settle Fashion For Relief's outstanding debts. The report emphasized the legal obligations of trustees to act in the best interests of their charity and highlighted significant breaches of these responsibilities by Campbell and her colleagues.

Tim Hopkins, the Charity Commission's deputy director, stated that the investigation's findings led to the necessary disqualifications and protections of charitable funds.