LONDON — A first-tier tribunal overturned a five-year ban on Naomi Campbell serving as a charity trustee. The ruling reversed a disqualification order issued by the Charity Commission in 2024 regarding her role at Fashion for Relief.

Tribunal judges Joe Neville and James Armstrong-Holmes, sitting with a third member, ruled that serious misconduct at Fashion for Relief resulted from Bianka Hellmich’s conduct and was concealed from Campbell. The tribunal found that Campbell was not involved in and did not know of the misconduct involving forged documents and deception by Hellmich.

The tribunal stated that Campbell’s evidence and conduct while the charity operated was entirely honest. Campbell addressed her relationship with Hellmich during the proceedings. She said she did not view the situation as a failure but as a matter of trusting someone she knew and who was a lawyer.

The Charity Commission opened an investigation into Fashion for Relief in 2021. Regulators found mismanagement of funds at the organization, including the use of charity funds to pay for Campbell’s stay at a five-star hotel in Cannes, spa treatments, room service, and cigarettes. The inquiry also determined that £316,000 in unauthorized fees and travel expenses were paid to a trustee.

The Charity Commission referred the matter to the Metropolitan Police when it became aware of the deception. The commission referred the case of Hellmich to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in 2024, following the conclusion of its investigation into the misuse of funds at Fashion for Relief.

Why It Matters

The tribunal decision clarifies the distinction between active participation in misconduct and negligent oversight in charity governance. By overturning the ban, the judges established that Campbell was deceived by a fellow trustee rather than complicit in the financial irregularities. This ruling impacts how regulatory bodies assess trustee liability when fraud is concealed by other officials within an organization.

The case shows the regulatory mechanisms available to protect charitable assets. The Charity Commission's actions resulted in the recovery of funds intended for beneficiaries such as Save the Children and the Mayor’s Fund for London. The disqualification of multiple trustees and the referral to criminal prosecutors demonstrate the severity with which regulators treat the misuse of charitable funds and the delegation of financial control without adequate oversight.

Timeline

An inquiry found that not all of Trustee A’s expenses paid on behalf of the charity in May 2018 were reasonable, including an invoice for hotel costs related to a stay following a fundraising gala. The Charity Commission opened a proactive Compliance Visit and Inspection case into the charity following a review of information submitted in the annual return for the financial year ending 5 April 2018.

The Charity Commission disqualified Naomi Campbell from being a charity trustee for five years in 2024. Fashion for Relief was dissolved and removed from the register of charities in 2024. The charity was removed from the Register of Charities on 15 March 2024.

Fashion Relief closed on 15 March 2024 following a statement from the Charity Commission for England and Wales. Orders to disqualify Trustees A and B took effect in 2024, with Trustee A disqualified for five years and Trustee B for nine years.

What's New

Additional reporting confirms that Veronica Chou, another trustee of Fashion for Relief, was disqualified for four years due to her involvement in the charity's financial misconduct, as confirmed by the Charity Commission in 2024. Records show that Naomi Campbell was previously involved in the charity Fashion for Relief, which she founded in 2005 and operated as a US-based organization before registering as a UK charity in 2014. Written submissions made by Naomi Campbell’s legal team during the tribunal hearing stated that between 2016 and 2021, Bianka Hellmich received over £500,000 in payments from Fashion for Relief.

Historical records indicate that Naomi Campbell was previously involved in a charity-related legal dispute in 2017, when she was fined £5,000 for breaching the terms of a charitable trust related to her fashion event, Fashion for Relief. In 2021, the Charity Commission investigated Bianka Hellmich’s role in Fashion for Relief after receiving a referral from the Metropolitan Police regarding potential fraud and forgery. The Charity Commission referred the case of Bianka Hellmich to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in 2024, following the conclusion of its investigation into the misuse of funds at Fashion for Relief.

The Charities Act 2011 outlines that trustees have a duty to act in the best interests of the charity and to ensure proper management of funds, which aligns with the Charity Commission’s grounds for disqualification in Campbell’s case. In 2019, the Charity Commission imposed a five-year ban on a trustee for similar mismanagement involving unauthorized payments, setting a precedent for such cases.