Supermodel Naomi Campbell has been disqualified from being a trustee for five years after the Charity Commission found serious mismanagement of funds in her charity, Fashion For Relief. The investigation revealed that only a small portion of the money raised by the charity actually went towards good causes. Misconduct included using charity funds to pay for Campbell’s luxurious stay at a five-star hotel in Cannes, France, as well as spa treatments, room service, and cigarettes. Two other trustees were also disqualified as a result of the probe.
Fashion For Relief was dissolved and removed from the register of charities earlier this year. The Charity Commission opened an inquiry into the charity in 2021. Its mission was to provide grants to other organizations and contribute resources towards global disasters in order to alleviate poverty and advance health and education.
The inquiry discovered that between April 2016 and July 2022, only 8.5% of the charity’s overall expenditure went towards charitable grants. Campbell expressed her concern about these findings and stated that she is conducting her own investigation into the matter.
The Charity Commission has managed to recover £344,000 ($474,000) and protect an additional £98,000 ($135,000) of charitable funds.
In addition to using funds for personal expenses such as hotel stays and spa treatments, there were other instances where trustees failed to demonstrate cost-effectiveness or appropriate use of resources. For example, €14,800 ($17,300) was spent on a flight from London to Nice for transferring art and jewelry to a fundraising event in Cannes in 2018.
Campbell’s disqualification means she is prohibited from being a trustee or holding senior management positions in any charity in England and Wales during this period.
Naomi Campbell rose to fame as a schoolgirl before becoming the first British black model on the cover of British Vogue. She welcomed her second child last year at age 51.
Sky News has reached out to Campbell’s representatives for comment on this matter.
