UK bans supermodel Naomi Campbell from being charity trustee

Britain has banned supermodel Naomi Campbell from being a charity trustee for five years after an inquiry into a charity she set up found that funds raised for good causes were used for spa treatments and cigarettes.

London-born Campbell, 54, was one of an elite group of supermodels who dominated runways and magazine covers from the 1990s.

She founded Fashion For Relief in 2005, aiming to raise funds for humanitarian causes by staging runway shows, but the charity was removed from Britain's list of charities this year.

An inquiry published into the organisation by the Charity Commission found multiple instances of misconduct and mismanagement, and the commission said it was banning Campbell plus two others from trusteeship as a result.

Campbell's representatives declined to comment.

Between 2016-2022, the regulator found that only 8.5% of Fashion for Relief's expenditure was directed towards charitable grants. Unauthorised payments of 290,000 pounds (Sh50,020,911) were made to one of the trustees, while money was also spent on room service, spa treatments and cigarettes.

Such purchases are not deemed "reasonable expenses" by the commission.

"Trustees are legally required to make decisions that are in their charity's best interests and to comply with their legal duties and responsibilities," Charity Commission Deputy Director Tim Hopkins said. "Our inquiry has found that the trustees of this charity failed to do so."

The regulator recovered over 400,000 pounds (Sh68,994,360) from Fashion For Relief, which has been used to settle its outstanding liabilities with the balance directed to other charities.