UK bans Naomi Campbell for misappropriating charity funds

The British government has banned 54-year-old Naomi Campbell from serving as a charity trustee for five years following an inquiry into her charitable organization.

The investigation uncovered misappropriation of charitable funds, revealing that donations intended for good causes were instead used for personal enrichment, including spa treatments and cigarette purchases.

An inquiry published into the organization by the charity commission on Friday, found multiple instances of mismanagement on two others trustees and were banned for five years as a result.

“Trustees are legally required to make decisions that are in their charity’s best interests and to comply with their legal duties and responsibilities,” said Charity Commission Deputy Director Tim Hopkins.

“Our investigation has found that the trustees of this charity failed to do so”, he added.

The renowned British model, was one of an elite group of supermodels who dominated runways and magazine covers from the 1990s.

She founded Fashion For Relief in 2005, aiming to raise funds for humanitarian causes by staging runway shows, but the charity was removed from Britain’s list of charities this year.

Between 2016-2022, the charity commission regulator discovered that only 8.5% of Fashion for Relief’s expenditure was directed towards charitable grants.

Additionally, unauthorized payments of 290,000 pounds were made to one of the trustees, while money was also spent on room service, spa treatments and cigarettes.

However, the regulator has recovered over 400,000 pounds from Fashion For Relief, which has been used to settle its outstanding liabilities with the balance directed to other charities.