Supermodel Naomi Campbell has blamed alleged “fraud and deception” by a former trustee of her charity, Fashion for Relief, as she appeals a ban preventing her from running charities in the UK.
Speaking during an appeal hearing, Campbell accused fellow trustee and lawyer Bianka Hellmich of forging her signature and impersonating her through a fake email account to divert charity funds.
Campbell told the tribunal that her “only mistake” was trusting Hellmich, insisting she had no involvement in financial misconduct linked to the organisation.
In 2024, the Charity Commission banned Campbell from serving as a charity trustee for five years after an investigation found evidence of serious financial mismanagement within Fashion for Relief.
The watchdog claimed that large amounts of money intended for charitable causes were instead spent on luxury hotels, spa treatments, cigarettes, and security services connected to the supermodel.
Hellmich was banned from running charities for nine years, while another trustee, Veronica Chou, received a four-year ban.
Campbell’s lawyer argued that Hellmich carried out a long-running scheme of deception and concealed financial irregularities from the charity’s other trustees.
The model also claimed Hellmich falsely presented herself as a qualified charity lawyer and admitted she did not carry out detailed background checks because she trusted her professional image and experience.
The Charity Commission, however, argued that Campbell could not avoid responsibility by acting only as a figurehead within the organisation.
The tribunal also heard that allegations involving forgery and fraud have now been referred to police by both Campbell’s legal team and the Charity Commission.
Fashion for Relief was established to support humanitarian causes through the fashion industry but was dissolved and removed from the UK charity register in March 2024 after investigations into its operations.
