Naomi Campbell Wins Appeal Against Charity Trustee Ban

Supermodel Naomi Campbell has successfully challenged a five-year ban that prevented her from serving as a charity trustee in England and Wales. A three-person tribunal ruled on Thursday that Campbell had been misled by Bianka Hellmich, a co-trustee of the poverty charity "Fashion for Relief."

The Charity Commission, which oversees charities in England and Wales, had previously determined that the charity, founded by Campbell nearly two decades ago, suffered from poor governance and inadequate financial management. The commission cited multiple instances of misconduct and mismanagement, noting that over a six-year period from 2016, only 8.5% of the charity's total expenditure was allocated to charitable grants. This led to Campbell's disqualification as a trustee.

The tribunal acknowledged that serious misconduct and financial mismanagement had occurred. However, it concluded that these failures, including the misuse of funds, were the result of Hellmich's actions and had been concealed from Campbell. The tribunal's ruling clears Campbell of direct culpability, attributing the shortcomings to the deception by her fellow trustee.