Supermodel Naomi Campbell to appeal UK charity watchdog's ban
Campbell suggests "fake identities" had wrongly implicated her in a funding scandal.
British model Naomi Campbell poses after being awarded the 'Chevalier de l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres' (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters) title at the French Ministry for Culture in Paris on Sep 26, 2024. (File photo: AFP/Anne-Christine Poujoulat)
Former supermodel Naomi Campbell said on Wednesday (Feb 5) she will appeal against a UK watchdog ban on being a charity trustee, suggesting "fake identities" had wrongly implicated her in a funding scandal.
The Charity Commission last year banned the 54-year-old from running any charity for five years after identifying "multiple instances of misconduct" in the running of her Fashion for Relief organisation.
It found charity money had been used to pay for Campbell to stay in a five-star hotel in the south of France, including spa treatments and room service.
The ex-supermodel at the time branded the watchdog's findings "deeply flawed" and insisted that newly-instructed advisers were investigating what happened at the charity.
In a statement released late on Wednesday, she said a tribunal had granted her permission to appeal the commission's findings "after considering the evidence I have submitted".
"Ever since the commission's report, I have fought to uncover the facts. What has been unearthed so far is shocking," Campbell stated.
"I want to shine a light on how easy it is to fake identities online and prevent anybody else going through what I have been through."
Campbell insisted she had "never undertaken philanthropic work for personal gain, nor will I ever do so".
The case is due to come before the tribunal on Friday, according to Britain's domestic Press Association news agency.
Campbell's representatives claim documents submitted to the commission gave a false impression of her involvement in running the UK charity, the agency said.
They argue there is evidence of a fake email account which was used to impersonate the former supermodel in communications with lawyers, it added.
Campbell founded the charity in 2005, aiming to harness the fashion industry to relieve poverty and advance health and education, by making grants to other organisations and giving resources towards global disasters.
But the watchdog probe published last September found that between April 2016 and July 2022, only 8.5 per cent of Fashion for Relief's overall expenditure went on grants to charities.
The charity was dissolved and removed from the register of charities last year, with two other trustees also receiving bans.
At the time, Campbell said she was "extremely concerned" by the regulator's findings and that she was "not in control of my charity" having "put the control in the hands of a lawyer".
