Naomi Campbell overturns charity trustee ban after tribunal finds she was deceived

Model Naomi Campbell has successfully overturned her five-year ban from serving as a charity trustee after a tribunal determined that serious misconduct at her organisation, Fashion for Relief, was deliberately concealed from her by a fellow trustee.

The First-Tier Tribunal panel ruled on Thursday that Campbell was unaware of financial irregularities at the charity and bore no responsibility for the misuse of funds. The decision reverses a 2024 ban imposed by the Charity Commission following an inquiry into the organisation's management. The judges found that Campbell, a fellow trustee, and professional advisers had all been subject to sophisticated deception by co-trustee Bianka Hellmich.

What misconduct was discovered at Fashion for Relief?

The Charity Commission's investigation found that Fashion for Relief raised just under £4.8 million from fashion shows between 2016 and 2021, yet distributed only £389,000 in grants to partner charities. Expenditure included luxury hotel stays and spa treatments that were not authorised for charity purposes.

The tribunal heard evidence that in 2018, €4,386 (£3,750) in hotel charges from a trip to the south of France were paid from charity funds without Campbell's knowledge. These expenses included €1,298 (£1,100) for dinner room service, €1,163 (£990) for spa treatments, and €112 (£95) for cigarettes. The charges related to Campbell's stay at a five-star hotel in Cannes.

More significantly, unauthorised payments exceeding £290,000 were made to fellow trustee Bianka Hellmich under the guise of consultancy fees. According to tribunal documentation, Hellmich used forged documents and deceived professional advisers and the Charity Commission in orchestrating these transfers. The second source reported that the unauthorised fees and travel expenses to Hellmich totalled £316,000.

How did Campbell respond to the allegations?

Campbell appealed the ban, arguing that Hellmich had forged her signature and impersonated her using a fake email address to misdirect funds intended for the charity. She characterised her involvement as an error of judgment in trusting a colleague.

Testifying before the tribunal during a four-day hearing in June, Campbell stated that her

only mistake was trusting Hellmich

. She told the London tribunal that she and the Charity Commission had been deceived, saying:

I don't look at it as a failure, I look at it as me trusting someone that I knew, someone that was a lawyer

. Campbell alleged that Hellmich had forged her signature and lied about her credentials as a charity lawyer. The tribunal panel accepted her account, finding that documentary evidence corroborated her claim of deception.

What did the tribunal conclude about Campbell's conduct?

The three-person panel, comprising judges Joe Neville and James Armstrong-Holmes and a third member, stated unequivocally that

Ms Campbell was not involved in, and did not know of, that conduct

regarding the most serious instances of misconduct. The tribunal further declared that

both Ms Campbell's evidence, as well as her conduct during the operation of the Charity, was entirely honest

.

The panel found that Campbell bore some responsibility for administrative failures, including the failure to maintain proper minutes and file accounts on time. However, the tribunal determined these shortcomings were insufficient grounds to disqualify her from serving as a charity trustee. The judges rejected criticisms made by lawyers for the Charity Commission about Campbell's evidence, including suggestions that she was focused on

controlling the media narrative

, stating that

none of Ms Campbell's answers were capable of being taken as doing any such thing

.

The panel is satisfied that Ms Campbell was not responsible for the inappropriate use of the charity's resources or any unjustified expenditure, nor did she contribute or facilitate it

, the ruling stated.

The tribunal also concluded that

she had no reasonable basis to suspect Ms Hellmich's dishonesty before regulatory concerns emerged and, when they did, Ms Campbell took reasonable steps in response

. The judges said that while Campbell shared responsibility for the charity failing to file its accounts on time, this did not mean she was unfit to be a charity trustee in the circumstances of the case

including the sustained deception

she had faced.

What was the background to the charity's closure?

Campbell established Fashion for Relief in 2005 to support victims of Hurricane Katrina. The organisation subsequently organised campaigns for various humanitarian causes and disasters worldwide. The Charity Commission opened its statutory inquiry on 8 November 2021, after reviewing the trustees' response to an action plan and other information. The investigation was prompted after partner charities, including Save the Children and the Mayor's Fund for London, received only a tiny fraction of the proceeds of events organised by Fashion for Relief for their benefit.

The charity was closed in 2023 following the Charity Commission's findings of serious mismanagement and misconduct. In 2024, Campbell and two other trustees were banned from serving as charity trustees. Bianka Hellmich was disqualified for nine years, and Veronica Chou for four years. Hellmich has denied all allegations against her and did not participate in the tribunal proceedings or provide evidence. Speaking to a national news outlet, Hellmich previously said there was

absolutely no truth

to Campbell's claims.

What was the Charity Commission's position?

The Charity Commission opposed Campbell's appeal and argued that the five-year ban should remain in place. The Commission's lawyers argued that Campbell had

completely abdicated

her responsibilities as a trustee and was

highly culpable

for the misconduct. However, the tribunal's ruling found that while serious misconduct and mismanagement occurred within the charity Campbell founded, the most serious aspects—including unauthorised payments to Hellmich, financial management failures, and fund misuse—resulted from Hellmich's conduct and were deliberately hidden from Campbell.

The tribunal noted that Hellmich's solicitors submitted written denials of the allegations but that she was not called to give evidence and did not participate in the proceedings. A Charity Commission spokesperson acknowledged the court's findings, stating:

The court recognised that Ms Campbell, the commission and the law firm concerned were subject to sophisticated deception by one of the other trustees. This was referred to the Metropolitan police when we became aware.

The Commission added that its intervention had ensured £250,000 of funds raised for charities including Save the Children and the Mayor's Fund for London was passed on to the organisations.

It is understood to be the second time a court has overturned a trustee disqualification order made by the Charity Commission.

Key Facts

• Fashion for Relief raised £4.8 million from fashion shows between 2016 and 2021 but distributed only £389,000 in grants to partner charities
• Unauthorised payments exceeding £290,000 (reported by one source as £316,000 including travel expenses) were made to trustee Bianka Hellmich under the guise of consultancy fees
• The tribunal found that Hellmich used forged documents and a false email address purporting to belong to Campbell to conceal misconduct
• Campbell was found to have taken reasonable steps in response once regulatory concerns emerged
• The charity was closed in 2023 following the Charity Commission's inquiry; Hellmich was disqualified for nine years and Veronica Chou for four years