Naomi Campbell Banned from Leading Charities in England for 5 Years After Investigation Found Financial 'Misconduct'
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09/26/2024 10:42 PM
The supermodel has denied any wrongdoing, adding that she is "extremely concerned" about the allegations
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Naomi Campbell on Sept. 20, 2024Naomi Campbell has been banned from leading any charitable organization in England and Wales for five years after an investigation accused the model of misusing funds within her charity.
On Thursday, Sept. 26, Britain's Charity Commission released findings claiming that the English supermodel, 54, "poorly governed" and had "inadequate financial management" when it came to her Fashion for Relief organization, which was established in January 2015 to raise funds for various environmental and humanitarian causes.
Campbell and others are accused of using their positions with the organization to pay for expensive flights, lavish hotel stays and cigarettes.
"These costs included spa treatments, room service, and the purchase of cigarettes and hotel products," according to the report.
Campbell, who is named as a trustee in the watchdog group's published report, is accused of failing to comply with the charity's constitution — which includes "no formal meeting minutes [being] recorded."
"A review of the financial records identified that the trustees expended €14,800 for a flight on 11 May 2018 from London to Nice," the report said.
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"The trustees confirmed that a then trustee and one major donor (unnamed) were boarded on the flight which had been booked for the purposes of transferring art and jewellery (in excess of €1.5m) to the charity's fundraising event in Cannes," the report continued.
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Naomi Campbell on Sept. 26, 2024According to a press release, "The inquiry found that between April 2016 and July 2022, only 8.5% of the charity's overall expenditure was on charitable grants."
Fashion for Relief dissolved earlier this year in March 2024.
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On Thursday, Campbell spoke to the Associated Press after being named a knight in France's Order of Arts and Letters at the country's culture ministry for her contribution to French culture, where she denied any wrongdoing, but added that she was "extremely concerned" about the accusations in the report.
"I was not in control of my charity, I put the control in the hands of a legal employer," the businesswoman told the outlet. "We are investigating to find out what and how, and everything I do and every penny I ever raised goes to charity."
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