The model Naomi Campbell has been banned from being a charity trustee after a watchdog found charity funds were spent on luxury hotels and spa treatments.
A Charity Commission inquiry found Fashion for Relief was not passing on as much of the money raised as it was supposed to.
Instead, it was being spent on cigarettes and security for Campbell and other unauthorised payments to one of her fellow charity trustees.
“I’ve just found out today about the findings, and I am extremely concerned,” Campbell, 54, told AP news agency.
She added she was not the person “in control” of the charity.
Fundraising promises not upheld
She has been banned from charity involvement for five years with two other trustees, Bianka Hellmich and Veronica Chou, being banned for nine years and four years respectively.
The inquiry found that unauthorised payments totalling KSh. 50M (£290,000) for consultancy services had been made to Ms Hellmich, which was in breach of the charity’s constitution.
Whilst Ms Hellmich had proactively proposed repaying these funds, the Commission-appointed interim managers secured repayments to the charity.
A sum of nearly KSh. 59.4M (£345,000) was recovered from the charity by investigators and protection for a further KSh. 16.9M (£98,000) of charity money has been established.
The funds have been used to make payments to two other charities – Save the Children Fund and the Mayor’s Fund for London – and to cover the cost of Fashion for Relief’s liabilities.
The inquiry, which looked at Fashion for Relief’s expenses between April 2016 and July 2022, found that just 8.5% of funds raised were spent on grants to charity.
Following the opening of the inquiry, both Save the Children Fund and the Mayor’s Fund for London made complaints to the commission regarding Fashion for Relief.
Fashion for Relief held fundraising events for the two charities, but the inquiry found that it failed to manage its partnership arrangements.
Tim Hopkins, who was part of the investigations team, said in a statement: “Trustees are legally required to make decisions that are in their charity’s best interests and to comply with their legal duties and responsibilities”.
He added: “Our inquiry has found that the trustees of this charity failed to do so, which has resulted in our action to disqualify them”.
Fashion for Relief was removed from the register of charities on 15 March 2024.
