Naomi Campbell is banned from her charity role over allegations of spending funds on luxury hotels and cigarettes

Supermodel Naomi Campbell’s charity organisation, Fashion for Relief, faces allegations of financial mismanagement following an investigation by a charity watchdog.

According to ‘The Guardian’, the inquiry revealed that much of the money raised at the charity’s star-studded events over the past decade was misused. As a result, Campbell, 54, has been banned from serving as a charity trustee for five years.

Her organisation reportedly misused funds. Getty Images

The investigation found that tens of thousands of dollars were spent on Campbell’s luxury hotel stays, spa treatments, personal security, cigarettes, and other personal expenses. Additionally, her fellow trustee, Bianka Hellmich, allegedly received hundreds of thousands of dollars in unauthorised payments from the charity.

Hellmich has been banned from holding a trustee role for nine years, while another trustee, Veronica Chou, received a four-year ban.

The inquiry also concluded that Fashion for Relief was “poorly governed” with “inadequate financial management.” Between April 2016 and July 2022, only 8.5% of the charity’s overall spending went toward charitable grants. In one instance, just $5,000 of the $1.6 million raised during a Cannes gala was donated over 15 months, as ‘The Daily Mail’ reported.

A watchdog investigation into the organization began in 2021. WireImage

Fashion for Relief was reported to regulators in 2021, prompting the Charity Commission for England and Wales to launch an inquiry in November. In December 2023, the organisation announced its intention to dissolve, officially shutting down three months later. As part of the investigation, nearly $400,000 was recovered and donated to Save the Children and the Mayor’s Fund for London.

Campbell founded Fashion for Relief in 2005, inspired by Nelson Mandela, to use the fashion industry to support humanitarian causes. The charity has provided aid for disasters such as the Haiti earthquake, Hurricane Katrina, and the Japanese earthquake and tsunami.

Funds were allegedly spent on Campbell’s personal needs. Getty Images

Despite the charity’s dissolution, Campbell has not yet responded to the allegations. In addition to the scrutiny over her charity, Campbell made headlines earlier this month when Anna Wintour mocked her punctuality during Fashion Row’s Fashion Show and Style Awards. Campbell responded to the remark during her speech at the event, stating, “It wasn’t my choice to have the other woman [here].”

Sola Adeniji

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