Entertainment

27 September 2024

• Naomi has been disqualified from being a trustee of her foundation 'Fashion for Relief' which she started back in 2015 for five years

• This is after a probe found between April 2016 and July 2022, only 8.5 per cent of the charity's overall spending was on charitable grants

English model, actress, and media personality Naomi Elaine Campbell has broken silence hours after she was banned from her trustee role due to mismanagement of funds meant for relief and aid victims.

Yesterday evening a report went up announcing Miss Campbell had been disqualified from being a trustee of her own charity foundation dubbed 'Fashion for Relief' (which she started back in 2015) alongside 2 other members for five years.

This is after a probe that had been investigating her charity foundation found a huge chunk of charity funds were used to pay for Campbell’s stay at a five-star hotel in Cannes, France, as well as spa treatments, flights, room service and cigarettes.

Speaking to French reporters, the veteran British supermodel argued she had not been in charge of the foundation as she expressed her shock upon learning about the findings.

“I just found out today about the findings, and I’m extremely concerned, and we are investigating on our side as I was not in control of my charity, I put the control in the hands of a legal lawyer," 54-year-old Naomi emotionally said.

Further emphasizing that to the best of her knowledge all the money raised over the years has been going towards charities.

"And so, we are investigating to find out what and how, as anything I do and every penny I ever raise goes towards charities," she further added.

The commission registers and regulates charities in England and Wales and opened an inquiry into Naomi's foundation, 'Fashion for Relief' back in 2021. In a shocking revelation they found that between April 2016 and July 2022, just 8.5 per cent of the charity's overall spending was on charitable grants.

Of the £4.8million generated by Fashion for Relief between 2016 and 2022, only £389,000 (over Sh. 55.7 million) was given to good causes.

Following this, the charity, which it says was founded by Campbell in 2015, was dissolved and removed from the register of charities earlier this year.

Emerging details revealed the organisation splurged £12,000 (Sh. 1.7 million) on a flight to Nice to transfer art and jewellery, as well as splashing out £7,800 (Sh. 1.1 M) on a luxury hotel stay for the model.

It was found out that Naomi Campbell’s fellow trustee Bianka Hellmich, who has been disqualified from being a charity trustee for nine years received £290,000 in unauthorised consultancy fees and £26,000 a year in travel expenses from the charity. He has transferred this money over a period of two years.

A third trustee, Veronica Chou has been banned for four years.

When asked about the doings, Fashion for Relief argued that it was not solely a fundraising charity but also a platform that, through its high-profile fundraising events, encouraged donors to give directly to its partner charities and good causes.

Some £344,000 has been recovered and a further £98,000 of charitable funds protected, the regulator revealed.