Naomi Campbell Barred From Being Charity Trustee Over Financial Misconduct | BIN: Black Information Network
Naomi Campbell has been temporarily prohibited from acting as a trustee for a charity after a UK regulatory agency discovered evidence of financial mismanagement within her own organization.
On Thursday, September 26, the Charity Commission of the U.K. published an investigation into Campbell's charity, Fashion for Relief. The report highlighted that the charity was "mismanaged" and suffered from "insufficient financial oversight," according to USA Today.
It has been reported that Campbell's charity allocated under 9 percent of its revenue to grants and charitable causes. The report highlights that certain expenditures, such as a five-star hotel stay and security for Campbell at a 2018 Cannes Film Festival event, were deemed "excessive." Additional noted expenses included "spa services, room service, and buying cigarettes."
Following the investigation, Campbell was prohibited from acting as a charity trustee for a period of five years. Bianka Hellmich, one of Campbell's fellow trustees, faced a nine-year ban from her charity position. Another trustee, Veronica Chou, received a four-year suspension.
The oversight organization reported that Fashion for Relief did not effectively handle its collaborations with two charities, Save the Children Fund and the Mayor's Fund for London. As a result, the U.K.'s Charity Commission stepped in and appointed temporary managers to ensure that the over $460,000 owed to these charities was paid.
In a statement, Tim Hopkins, deputy director of the Charity Commission, noted, "The investigation, along with the efforts of the interim managers we assigned to oversee the charity in place of the trustees, has successfully recovered £344,000 and safeguarded an additional £98,000 in charitable funds. I'm happy to report that this inquiry has also facilitated donations to other charities that were previously supported by this organization."
Campbell established Fashion for Relief in 2005. The organization was formally registered in 2015 but was taken off the country's charity registry in March of this year.
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