Naomi Campbell Wins Appeal Against Five-Year Charity Trustee Ban

Naomi Campbell has successfully appealed a five-year ban from serving as a charity trustee, which was imposed in 2024 following a Charity Commission inquiry into her charity, Fashion for Relief. The First-Tier Tribunal ruled on Thursday that Campbell was unaware of the most serious misconduct, which was concealed from her by fellow trustee Bianka Hellmich. The tribunal accepted Campbell's evidence as entirely honest and found that she was not responsible for the inappropriate use of charity resources. The charity, founded in 2005 to aid Hurricane Katrina victims, was shut down in 2023 after the inquiry found serious mismanagement, including unauthorized payments exceeding £290,000 to Hellmich for apparent consultancy fees. Campbell testified that Hellmich forged her signature and impersonated her via a fake email address to misdirect funds. The tribunal concluded that Hellmich deceived Campbell, used forged documents, and misled professional advisers and the Commission. While Campbell bore some responsibility for administrative failures like late filings, the tribunal deemed this insufficient for disqualification. The Charity Commission had opposed the appeal, arguing the ban should stand. Hellmich denied the allegations but did not participate in the proceedings.