Supermodel Naomi Campbell has won her bid to appeal against a ban imposed on her by the watchdog following findings that charity funds were misused.
Last September, it was revealed that several trustees of Fashion for Relief were disqualified by the Charity Commission after it launched an inquiry into its finances.
The inquiry found that between April 2016 and July 2022, only 8.5 per cent of the charity’s overall expenditure was on charitable grants.
The watchdog reviewed trustee expenses, including Campbell’s, focusing on an event held in Cannes, France on 13 May 2018.
It was revealed that in addition to a five-star hotel, funds were charged by Campbell totalling nearly €8,000 on spa treatments, room service, and cigarettes.
The inquiry also found that unauthorised payments totalling £290,000 for consultancy services were made to a trustee, high net worth lawyer Bianka Hellmich, which was in breach of the charity’s constitution.
As a result of its findings the regulator disqualified Hellmich for nine years, Naomi Campbell for five years and businesswoman Veronica Chou for four years.
Commenting at the time, Campbell said she was “extremely concerned” adding she was not the person “in control” of the charity.
The Charity Commission said it had recovered over £344,000 and protected a further £98,000 of charitable funds.
Now she’s fighting back, having just won her bid to appeal to the First-Tier Tribunal General Regulatory Chamber after Judge Jeremy Rintoul granted her permission to challenge the ban.
In a press statement, it was noted that Campbell’s lawyers and specialist investigators have been looking into what happened at Fashion for Relief, and are claiming documents submitted to the Commission “have given a false impression of her involvement in running the UK charity”.
Her legal team’s investigation is stated to “have uncovered evidence of a fake email account which was used to impersonate Miss Campbell in communications with lawyers.”
It was also noted that Campbell was not made aware of the allegations being made in the Charity Commission inquiry about the mismanagement of Fashion for Relief UK or her alleged role in it, adding she “did not have the opportunity to answer them”.
Commenting on the decision, Campbell said: “I am grateful to the Tribunal for allowing me to appeal the Charity Commission’s findings after considering the evidence I have submitted.”
“Ever since the Commission’s report, I have fought to uncover the facts. What has been unearthed so far is shocking.”
“I want to shine a light on how easy it is to fake identities online and prevent anybody else going through what I have been through. I want to ensure that those responsible are held accountable and justice is done.”
“Having begun legal action, I will have more to say in due course. This is just the beginning. As I have said before, I have never undertaken philanthropic work for personal gain, nor will I ever do so,” she added.
A Charity Commission spokesperson said: “These are significant allegations for the courts to consider, and we will continue to co-operate fully with the tribunal as it does so.”