Naomi Campbell banned from becoming charity trustee in England and Wales

LONDON – British supermodel Naomi Campbell has been banned from being a charity trustee in England and Wales for five years after the poverty charity she founded nearly two decades ago admitted on Thursday it had been “poorly managed” due to “inadequate financial management”.

The Charity Commission, which registers and regulates charities in England and Wales, found “multiple cases of abuse and/or mismanagement” after a three-year investigation into the financial activities of “Fashion for Charity” and that only 8.5 He said it was 5. Over the six-year period from 2016, a percentage of the charity’s overall expenditure went to charitable giving.

For example, thousands of pounds worth of charity funds were reportedly used to pay for Campbell’s luxury hotel stay in Cannes, France, as well as spa treatments, room service and even cigarette costs. The regulator sought clarification from the trustees but said no evidence had been provided to support their statement that hotel costs were usually covered by a donor to the charity and therefore did not cost the charity.

Campbell, 54, said he was “extremely concerned” by the regulator’s findings and that an investigation into him was ongoing.

“I was not in control of my charity, I put control in the hands of a legitimate employer,” he said moments after receiving the French Ministry of Culture’s prestigious Ordre des Arts et des Lettres award. “We are investigating to find out what happened and how, and everything I do and every penny I raise goes to charity.”

The commission, which registers, registers and regulates charities in England and Wales, also found trustee Bianka Hellmich received nearly 290,000 pounds ($385,000) in unauthorized funds for consultancy services, which breached the charity’s statutes. She has been banned from being a trustee for nine years. Another trustee, Veronica Chou, was banned for four years.

“Trustees are legally required to make decisions in the best interests of the charity and comply with their statutory duties and responsibilities,” said Tim Hopkins, deputy director of specialist investigations and standards. “Our investigation found that the trustees of this charity failed to do this, which resulted in our action to disqualify them.”

The charity, which was founded in 2005 following Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, was dissolved and removed from the charity register earlier this year. The charity said on its still-active website that it has presented fashion initiatives and projects in New York, London, Cannes, Moscow, Mumbai and Dar es Salaam and has raised more than $15 million for good causes around the world.

The charity was founded to unite the fashion industry to reduce poverty and improve health and education by donating to other organizations and funding global disasters.

The commission said about 344,000 pounds ($460,000) had been recovered and 98,000 pounds of aid funds had also been preserved. These funds were used to donate to two other charities and pay off outstanding debts.

“I am pleased that the investigation found that donations were made to other charities that this charity had previously supported,” the regulator’s Hopkins said.

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Lesprit reported from Paris.