Naomi Campbell to appeal charity trustee ban

Supermodel Naomi Campbell is to entreaty against her prohibition connected being a foundation trustee, claiming that a fake email code was utilized to impersonate her and gave a mendacious content of her involvement.

In September 2024, the 54-year-old was banned from being a foundation trustee for 5 years aft a UK watchdog recovered a mismanagement of foundation funds astatine Fashion for Relief, which she founded.

The model's representatives assertion immoderate documents submitted to an enquiry by The Charity Commission gave a misleading content of her relation successful moving the UK charity.

They claimed determination was grounds of a fake email relationship which they said was utilized to impersonate Campbell successful communications with lawyers.

As a result, they said she was truthful not made alert of the allegations being made successful the watchdog's enquiry and did not person the accidental to reply them.

The Charity Commission enquiry recovered that wealth raised was being spent connected luxury hotels, spa treatments, cigarettes and security.

At the time, Campbell said she was "extremely concerned" by the findings and added that she was not the idiosyncratic "in control" of the charity.

Her lawsuit volition travel earlier a tribunal connected Friday (7 February). In a connection connected Wednesday, Campbell said she wants to "ensure that those liable are held accountable and justness is done".

Campbell added that she has "fought to uncover the facts" since the commission's study and "what has been unearthed truthful acold is shocking".

"I privation to radiance a airy connected however casual it is to fake identities online and forestall anybody other going done what I person been through. I privation to guarantee that those liable are held accountable and justness is done."

Campbell was 1 of 3 of the charity's trustees to beryllium disqualified arsenic a effect of the probe past year. Bianka Hellmich and Veronica Chou person been banned for 9 years and 4 years respectively.

A probe into Fashion for Relief was opened by the committee successful 2021, with the foundation dissolved and removed from the registry of charities successful March 2024.

The inquiry, which looked astatine Fashion for Relief's expenses betwixt April 2016 and July 2022, recovered that conscionable 8.5% of funds raised were spent connected grants to charity.

Some £344,000 has been recovered and a further £98,000 of charitable funds protected, the Charity Commission said successful September.

Fashion for Relief had been acceptable up with the purpose of uniting the manner manufacture to relieve poorness and beforehand wellness and education, by making grants to different organisations and giving resources towards planetary disasters.