Supermodel Naomi Campbell banned from running charity after embezzling funds

On September 28, 2024, 8:01 PM

Former supermodel Naomi Campbell has been banned from running a charity for five years following a damning report by the United Kingdom’s Charity Commission.

The regulatory body found “multiple instances of misconduct” in the management of her charitable organization, Fashion for Relief, including the misuse of funds on personal expenses like stays in luxury hotels, cigarettes, and spa treatments.

The UK’s Charity Commission’s investigation uncovered that Campbell used charity funds to pay for her stay at a five-star hotel in the south of France, which included spa services and room service. Additionally, some of the charity’s funds were spent on cigarettes and unauthorized payments for personal security, as well as to a fellow charity trustee. Between April 2016 and July 2022, only 8.5% of Fashion for Relief’s overall expenditure was allocated to charitable grants.

In response to the findings, Campbell, 54, released a statement condemning the report as “deeply flawed” and expressed her frustration over the Commission’s decision. While accepting ultimate responsibility as the face of Fashion for Relief, she distanced herself from the day-to-day management of the charity, stating that she had entrusted the legal and operational oversight to others.

“First of all, I recognise that, as the face of Fashion for Relief, I am ultimately responsible for its conduct,” Campbell said in a statement to the PA news agency. “Unfortunately, I was not involved in the day-to-day operations of the organisation, and I entrusted the legal and operational management to others.”

The Charity Commission’s report, published Thursday, also revealed that two other trustees involved with Fashion for Relief had been banned alongside Campbell. Campbell’s organization, founded in 2005, had previously gained international attention for its star-studded fundraising events in London and Cannes. These events sought to raise money for various causes, including support for child refugees, victims of the Ebola crisis, and survivors of the 2011 Japanese earthquake and tsunami.

Campbell, who rose to global fame in the 1990s and became the first Black model in 20 years to grace the cover of UK Vogue in 1987, insisted that she never profited from the charity’s funds. “I have never been paid a fee for my participation in Fashion for Relief nor billed any personal expenses to the organization,” she asserted.

Despite the ruling, Campbell indicated she is exploring her legal options, including the possibility of filing an appeal. “I have instructed new advisers to investigate what happened at the charity,” she said, hinting at a potential challenge to the watchdog’s decision.

Fashion for Relief was once celebrated for its charitable efforts, but the recent revelations have cast a shadow over its operations, leading to serious questions about the management and use of donor funds in high-profile charitable events.