Naomi Campbell admits failures at her charity Fashion for Relief but denies misconduct after being banned from serving as trustee following financial scandal

Supermodel Naomi Campbell has admitted failings at her charity Fashion for Relief but denied wrongdoing.

Last month, the 54-year-old was banned from serving on the charity’s board for five years after an investigation found she had instead spent the funds she raised for good causes on spa treatments and cigarettes.

She founded Fashion For Relief in 2005 with the aim of raising funds for humanitarian causes through runway shows, but this year the charity was removed from the UK’s list of charities.

An inquiry published into the organization by the Charity Commission found numerous instances of misconduct and mismanagement, and the commission said it had banned Campbell and two others from holding trustee positions as a result.

Campbell has now said she had failed in her duties as a trustee and was “perhaps not as actively involved in the day-to-day operations of the charity as she should have been”.

But she maintained that she had not committed any financial abuse or misuse of the charity during its turbulent nine years.

The Mail On Sunday revealed that official accounts show he spent more than £1.6m on the glitzy Cannes gala but only donated £5,000 to good causes in 15 months.

“She may not have been as actively involved in the day-to-day operations of the charity as she should have been,” a spokesman for Campbell told The Guardian, adding that she was “never involved in any form of financial misconduct.”

They said: “Naomi has never been paid for her activities with Fashion for Relief nor has she provided any personal bills to the organization.”

The charity, founded on the inspirational words of Nelson Mandela, who told Campbell to use her “voice for good”, claimed to have raised more than £11 million.

This was done mainly through eye-catching donation drives held around the world, including in New York, Mumbai and Moscow.

Campbell took center stage at galas, stepping out in stunning designer gowns, and was honored by the British Fashion Council for her services and achievements in the fashion industry in 2019.

However, concerns have been raised in 2021 over the amount of money being given to those in need after the Mayor of London’s Fund lodged an official complaint alleging the charity owed it £50,000.

The Mayor’s Fund, which helps young Londoners from low-income backgrounds, lodged a “serious incident” report with the Charity Commission, which announced a statutory inquiry in November this year.

The commission said the investigation recovered more than £344,000, which was used to make donations to two other charities and settle Fashion For Relief’s outstanding liabilities.

The regulatory body determined that in the years 2016–2022 only 8.5 percent Fashion for Relief’s expenses were earmarked for charitable donations.

Unauthorized payments of £290,000 ($388,000) were made to one of the trustees, and the money was also spent on room service, spa treatments and cigarettes.

The commission published the report of its statutory inquiry into Fashion For Relief, which found that the charity had been mismanaged and had inadequate financial management.

It also said some fundraising expenses were found to be the result of misconduct or mismanagement on the part of the charity’s trustees.

This includes a €14,800 (£12,300) flight from London to Nice in 2018 for the transfer of art and jewelry.

In these cases, the trustees “failed to demonstrate how they were cost-effective and failed to demonstrate an appropriate use of the charity’s resources,” the Charities Commission said.

The inquiry found no evidence that trustees had reviewed the charity’s operating model to ensure its fundraising methods were in the best interests of the organization and that costs were reasonable in relation to the money contributed.

Campbell was banned from serving as a trustee for five years, former colleague Bianca Hellmich for nine years and Veronica Chou for four years.

A tearful Campbell insisted last month: “I wasn’t in control of my charity” after it was banned.

Campbell spoke to reporters in Paris to break her silence and address the Charities Commission’s findings.

In a speech before the lavish ceremony where she was honored with France’s most prestigious cultural award, she explained that she was “very concerned” but added: “I was not in control of my charity work.”

“There is an investigation on our end because I was not in control of my charity,” she said. “I’m putting control in the hands of a lawyer, so we’re investigating to find out what and how, because everything I do and every penny I raise goes to charity.”

Campbell, wearing a black and white striped Chanel dress, broke down in tears as she was awarded the title of Chevalier de Arts et des Lettres, before giving French Culture Minister Rachida Dati a big hug.

“There is an investigation on our end because I was not in control of my charity,” she said. “I’m putting control in the hands of a lawyer, so we’re investigating to find out what and how, because everything I do and every penny I raise goes to charity.”

Tim Hopkins, deputy director of specialist investigations and standards at the Charities Commission, said: “Trustees have a legal obligation to make decisions that are in the best interests of their charity and to uphold their legal duties and obligations.

“Our investigation found that the trustees of this charity had failed to do this, causing us to take action to disqualify them.

“This investigation, and the work of the interim managers we appointed to run the charity in place of its trustees, resulted in the recovery of £344,000 and the protection of a further £98,000 in charitable funds.

“I am pleased that the investigation has taken into account donations to other charities this organization has previously supported.”

The trustees were Ms Campbell, her key adviser Ms Chou, who is heiress to a £2 billion textile fortune, and socialite and lawyer Ms Hellmich.

Ms Chou resigned from the charity days after the Commission opened its 2021 inquiry.

A spokesman for the charity said in April, when it was struck off the register of charities: ‘The liquidation of Fashion For Relief was a decision taken by the trustees three years ago. It wasn’t forced closed.

“Fashion For Relief operates in America and will continue to host fundraisers around the world.”