UK tribunal overturns ban on Naomi Campbell leading charities
A tribunal found that misconduct occurred at Campbell's charity but ruled she was unaware of the mismanagement.
A UK tribunal overturned a five-year ban on supermodel Naomi Campbell being appointed as a charity trustee on Thursday, following a ruling that she was a victim of deception. The Charity Commission, the watchdog responsible for enforcing the ban, had identified several instances of misconduct at Campbell's charity, Fashion for Relief, in 2024.
However, the tribunal determined that Campbell was not directly involved in the misconduct and was unaware of it. Bianka Hellmich, another co-trustee, was disqualified from being a charity trustee for nine years due to her involvement in the deception. Hellmich had used forged documents and a false email address to receive unauthorized payments, hide mismanagement of funds, and conceal the deception from Campbell.
In a statement, Campbell expressed her deep hurt at the ruling but emphasized that it allowed her to return to her primary focus of serving the people and communities she aimed to support. The Charity Commission acknowledged that they had based their decision on the evidence available at the time and recognized the sophisticated nature of the deception.
Founded in 2005, Fashion for Relief aimed to leverage the fashion industry to alleviate poverty and promote health and education through grants and resources for global disasters. The charity was subsequently dissolved and removed from the register in 2024.
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