World Current Bulletin
Supermodel Naomi Campbell has successfully overturned a five-year prohibition preventing her from holding a charity trustee position. A specialized tribunal concluded that she bore no personal responsibility for financial irregularities discovered within her organization, Fashion for Relief.
The regulatory restriction had been imposed in 2024 following an investigation by the Charity Commission. Investigators uncovered instances where organizational funds had covered expenses such as luxury accommodations and spa services.
However, a three-member tribunal panel determined on Thursday that the primary infractions had been intentionally hidden from the model by a fellow trustee. The panel noted that the evidence demonstrated Campbell had acted with complete honesty throughout the existence of the non-profit venture.
Fashion for Relief was initially established by Campbell in 2005 to aid individuals affected by Hurricane Katrina in the United States. Over the following years, the initiative expanded its scope to support various international humanitarian campaigns and disaster relief efforts.
The organization ultimately ceased operations in 2023 after regulatory authorities identified systemic governance failures. Investigators reported that the charity had distributed a lower proportion of its collected donations to charitable causes than required by regulations.
During tribunal hearings held earlier in the year, the model argued that a co-trustee, attorney Bianka Hellmich, had deceived her. Legal representatives for Hellmich denied the accusations in communication with the panel, though she did not participate directly in the legal proceedings or provide testimony.
Tribunal members reviewed documentary evidence supporting the claim that Campbell had been manipulated. The panel accepted that unauthorized expenditures, including thousands of euros spent on hotel stays, dining, and spa treatments during a 2018 trip to France, had been charged to the charity without the model's knowledge.
While the judges cleared Campbell of any direct financial misconduct, they noted that she bore a degree of accountability for administrative oversights. Specifically, the organization failed to properly record meeting minutes and submit financial reports by statutory deadlines.
Nevertheless, the tribunal concluded that these administrative shortcomings did not justify a formal ban from trusteeship. The ruling emphasized that the severe financial mismanagement, including substantial unauthorized consultancy payments directed to Hellmich, was the result of deliberate deception.
The panel stated that Campbell had no logical reason to suspect dishonest behavior prior to the launch of the official regulatory investigation. Furthermore, the tribunal acknowledged that she took appropriate actions once the organizational issues came to light.
Reporting based on coverage first published by BBC News. Read the original report at BBC News.
